A little information about the licensure process for those who may contemplate doing this in the future. The cost of obtaining an Alaska Educator license is $200 plus $60 for your background check. These are not your only costs. You have to request original transcripts be sent electronically and most universities now charge around $10. If you have degrees from different schools your sending multiple transcripts. In the district where I will work you are also required to have a recent physical exam by a physician showing that you are physically able to work in Alaska. A good idea considering many locations are remote. You also must have a negative tuberculosis test, another $40. This also makes sense because is helps keep infectious diseases out of a closed society. You will need to complete a fingerprint card, FD-258, and include this in your packet as well. The $60 that I mentioned early and this card are used to complete your background check. Airline tickets to Anchorage are around $700 one way. I did a little research and split airlines and did better. Once in Anchorage, depending on where you’re headed, you’ll need another airline ticket to get you to your final destination. For me Bethel is a regional airport serviced by Alaska Airlines. That’s another $200+. Just think of it all as an investment.
You must take four mandatory courses online with the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development. These courses cover sexual abuse and prevention, dating violence, alcohol and drug related disabilities and suicide prevention and awareness. These courses take several hours to complete. Once you complete the courses, print your certificates of completion and include them in your application packet.
If you’re an administrator, you must go through the initial license application process and the administrator license process separately.
While I’m working on my license I’m also trying to get my clothes and gear together and ready for departure. My wife has been a trooper during this and I couldn’t do this without her full support. She has helped me so much in looking for clothes that will be appropriate in the upcoming months. She has been digging through my old army gear looking for anything that will help. Many items, that I’ve not seen in years, have been found. My extreme cold weather sleeping system, that I know for a fact is good down to -40, will make the trip. Now, I’ve been told that the winters in this area are considered mild. My question was what temperatures are we talking when you say the winters are mild? The answer was -24 to -30 are the norms. Oh, is that all? I was expecting something lower. Actually I have been in colder weather. I even fell through ice into waist deep water at -25 once. Not something I want or plan to repeat. Also, the average snowfall in the area is 62”. Some of you may wonder, “How will they get to school?” I imagine it will be a case of relying on our good ol’ LPC’s, leather personnel carriers. So, with these warm thoughts running through my head I continue to sort through clothes and decide what will make the trip and what will wait for me at home.
That’s way too cold for me!!!