Teaching in the Tundra

He doesn't even feel the tremors at night anymore.

After a year of living in the Alaskan "bush," Tripp Oakley has grown accustomed to the earthquakes and rumblings of life in the rim of fire. As a teacher of eight elementary school students, Oakley is fulfilling his dream of living in a remote place that pushes him to the limit each day. It's a life of seal meat, frozen tundra, 80 mile- per- hour winds and steam houses. The native Inuit village of Chignik Lake ("chignik" means "big wind" in the Aleutic language) is Oakley 's home during the school year. Three other teachers and a principal are the only professionals in the village of roughly 100. It's a very harsh existence for natives and visitors alike, but just right for Oakley. "Everyone told me the bush is not a good place to teach. The doubters and the negative things people said about the job actually inspired me to do it. I like to put myself in difficult situations so I can learn more about myself."

"The emphasis on freedom and personal choice I witnessed at Guilford has definitely carried over to the decisions I've made in and out of the classroom. "

There are plenty of difficult situations in Chignik. Alcoholism, domestic abuse and fighting are common among the families. The area has no professional health care and no law enforcement for hundreds of miles. It's a modern- day Wild West without Wyatt Earp to save the day. The nearest road is 600 miles away. Bush planes are the only ride into town, and they tend to crash. But, it's also a beautiful place. White powdered peaks surround the village, and the coast is within a snowmobile ride. Wildlife is ever present, including caribou, wolves, bear and moose, and a bald eagle every 20 feet. The lake is rich with salmon, which the villagers rely on for income and food. "If you lean over right, you can grab them right out of the water," Oakley says. "The natives fish only with hooks; the salmon bite at anything."

The school is a safe haven for the village kids. They grow up fast dressing and cooking for themselves at an early age. Many never leave the cycle of abuse and addiction that is part of their daily lives. Oakley tries to convince parents and their children that education is the only way to a better life.

He inspires a love of learning in his students by using creative outlets such as performing plays, creating sets and making digital movies. "The emphasis on freedom and personal choice I witnessed at Guilford has definitely carried over to the decisions I've made in and out of the classroom," he says.

Taking the kids into the village to meet with the elders in their houses is one deliberate way Oakley is hoping to make a difference. " I'm trying to make a bridge between the school and the community. Without that bridge, there will never be a positive and productive community," he says.

Nicknamed "Pick" by the villagers, Oakley also uses his main passion in life— his guitar— for teaching, pleasure and making friends. He's assembled a Chignik band that includes an 11- year- old drummer. "It was at Guilford that I learned to play the guitar the way I wanted to," Oakley says. "Sitting on the steps of Binford, I would play for hours. I was a classically trained pianist and guitarist growing up. I realized I wanted to play blues guitar and learned to play that way by listening and watching."

Oakley doesn't know how many years he will keep returning to his teaching job in Chignik. When he does leave for good, he hopes to be remembered as someone who was positive and fair with the kids. Someone who talked about how good it is to be leading a life that you map out for yourself, using reading and writing as your starting point."