My Plans for 2022–2023 — This post is adapted from the application I submitted to the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District Board of Education, which was approved by the board on February 23rd, 2022. In May 2013, during my final year as an undergraduate student, I completed an honors thesis entitled “Lingít ḵa Waashdan Ḵwáan…

Lessons Learned Abstaining from Duolingo in 2021 — Back in December 2020, I was fed up with Duolingo. I had been using the website on a pretty regular basis since 2014, and I have used it to learn and practice over a dozen different languages. I had my ups and downs with Duolingo, including times where I didn’t…

Toxic positivity is a real problem, and yes, I am going to be negative about it. — A few months ago I read the book What Great Teachers Do Differently: 17 Things That Matter Most by Todd Whitaker. It seems the book has been through multiple editions and has been pretty widely read, and I can see why: I agree with most of the messages in the…

I was on an island in Alaska from March 18th, 2020 to May 28th, 2021—436 days straight. Granted, it is my home, and the one place in the world I love the most: It’s Revillagigedo Island in Lingít Aaní (Tlingit Country, Southeast Alaska), home to the communities of Ketchikan and…

The Two Maps Proposed By Alaska’s Redistrictring Board BOTH Divide Ketchikan’s Political Representation — UPDATE As of the evening of September 10th, the Alaska Redistricting Board issued the following statement: It has been brought to the Board’s attention that a few census blocks on the southern portion of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough were unintentionally omitted from the Board’s proposed plans adopted on Thursday, September 9…

As a history educator, one of my biggest goals is to inspire young people to find value in the past. I want my students to feel amazed, and sometimes humbled, by the events and processes that have created our present society. …

I think educators should take the time to consider and discuss a particular idea that floats around our schools, especially secondary schools: It’s the idea that some teachers work best with high-achieving students, while some teachers are particularly suited to working with low-achieving students. I believe there’s at least some…

How can educators teach history in an honest, accurate manner while also being sensitive to their students? I believe those aims should complement each other perfectly. It seems pretty common in our culture that honesty and accuracy are framed as values working in opposition to kindness and sensitivity. The truth…

Are you interested in reading stories set in Alaska that feature chilling representations of mental illness and violence? If so, I highly recommend the works of David Vann. Usually, I would not count myself among the people interested in such stories. As a history educator and enthusiast, I will eagerly…