Teaching in Pinon Unified District

[mrmike700]

I have IL credentials, good experience, refs, etc...

...the elementary school advertises and the principal says they have immediate need and opening for what I teach--I want to teach there.

Anyone have any idea what my chances are?

It would seem a shame (actually it would BE a shame) for the AZ "credentialing" "people" to squelch the childrens' opportunity to have a teacher that wants to be their teacher, and to squelch a decent teacher's opportunity to teach where s/he wants to be...

...but career bureaucrats, to my knowledge, are not well-known for any over-riding proclivity to pro-actively put "wo/man-kind-ish/ly" compassion above the needs of the Master Computer which must be fed what it must be fed.

Moderator cut: off topic

[markus2011]

Living and teaching in Pinon would be nothing like teaching or living in even a small town of lets say 5,000 people. Pinon is a extremely remote community. It is also a community that is 2 hours from a city of at least 10,000 people and over 3 hours from an area of 100,000 people. Pinon is not an area that you accidentally stumble upon. I can assure you that it is a very hard place to live. Adjusting to a city like Pinon is extremely difficult.

I would compare living in Pinon to living in Prison in solitary confinement. A normal mentally stable person will not be able to adjust to living in Pinon. If you are a loner or a social outcast then you might be able to adjust to Pinon.

I know in a tough economy that a place like Pinon looks good but I can promise you that it is not. If you go to Pinon you must be willing to "sell you soul". You also have to be a weak willed and submissive person.

Good teachers don't last in Pinon. Good teachers get out of Pinon before they are to mentally disturbed to do so.

[PizzaEdge]

Originally Posted by markus2011

Living and teaching in Pinon would be nothing like teaching or living in even a small town of lets say 5,000 people. Pinon is a extremely remote community. It is also a community that is 2 hours from a city of at least 10,000 people and over 3 hours from an area of 100,000 people. Pinon is not an area that you accidentally stumble upon. I can assure you that it is a very hard place to live. Adjusting to a city like Pinon is extremely difficult.

I would compare living in Pinon to living in Prison in solitary confinement. A normal mentally stable person will not be able to adjust to living in Pinon. If you are a loner or a social outcast then you might be able to adjust to Pinon.

I know in a tough economy that a place like Pinon looks good but I can promise you that it is not. If you go to Pinon you must be willing to "sell you soul". You also have to be a weak willed and submissive person.

Good teachers don't last in Pinon. Good teachers get out of Pinon before they are to mentally disturbed to do so.

Yet another teacher coming to Pinon for selfish reasons. Pinon IS a challenge--a rewarding challenge if you choose. If you're a strong and happy person, you'll always seek to make each day productive for your students. Bad and unhappy teachers will always be bad and unhappy wherever they go.
If you are thinking about teaching in Pinon, do your research because its not for everyone. If your intent is to help students progress academically--no matter the cost or obstacle--then Pinon is for you.

As far as the remoteness is concerned, I would trade all the Walmarts and movie theaters in the world for one Pinon sunset.

[littlebakergirl]

I was called by the school district and they were very excited to pass my information on to the principal at the elementary school. It sounds like they are pretty desperate and yet haven't heard anything back. I want to get there as soon as I can and need to start figuring out what to take with me! Is the housing furnished? I am from a small town in WA and my high school was half Native American. I have always easily made friends from all over the world! Is it possible for a teacher to provide after school help for the kids who don't get it at school? My sister always teases me and says I am going to be the person who adopts 100 kids unofficially because they always come flocking to me, even when I am just out in public. I can't tell you how many times I have had random kids come up to me and hug me in public! I love kids and from reading all of this I my biggest worry is that I will love them too much and feel like I can't do enough to help them! Just reading these stories I want to pick up all of those kids, big and small, and just give them hugs and tell them that someone loves them and that they truly can become ANYTHING they want to be! If someone has a connection, tell the elementary principal to call me!

[Dayspring184]

My name is Nathaniel and I am intersted in finding a job a Indian Reservation could you please give me some pointers on how to go about doing it.

Originally Posted by FarDareisMai

It isn't for everybody and there is no shame in leaving. I intend no disparagement of any individuals. The following comments are directed in general and not to any individual poster. If I offend, I sincerely apologize.

I would have to say that one's success or failure can depend on many factors, including one's own attitudes and personality. If you teach here, you will need patience... a lot of it! You need to commit at least two years to give it time to work. the first year can be rugged... I don't mean to say that someone can just walk in and say "I care" and "I want to be involved in the community" and it just happens...it doesn't work that way. You have to prove yourself to the kids and the parents.

Someone can say that they are "reaching out to the community" but what does that actually mean? The successful teachers that I know are volunteering to work at fund raisers, serving food, taking admissions, just being there and being seen. They are there at sporting events to cheer and so forth. They attend parent meetings, join the PTO, open doors and greet the elderly, wear a big smile, befriend the cashier at Basha's and so forth. Their relationships with parents at conferences is enthusiastic and cordial, while still being honest and frank about their student's performance.

The teachers who I see leaving each year often don't do these things. They are professional and capable teachers, but they don't put this extra effort into succeeding. Instead they sometimes blame the Administration for poor discipline policies, the parent's for being poor parents, and the kids for being disruptive and mean. Our job as teachers is to overcome these problems by doing whatever it takes and not by blaming everybody else. It is also not about "compromising your expectations" - it is about finding ways for the school to meet those expectations. In talking to several different Principals, I have heard repeatedly that 90% of the discipline write ups come from 10% of their teachers.

Another thought on "expectations" - if someone means by that statement that they expect their students to be perfectly respectful and disciplined then you probably shouldn't come out here. This is not a place for "Type A" personalities. You can't just demand their attention, you have to find ways to get and keep that attention. It ain't easy. This is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life (and with the lowest pay <LOL>). It's also the best time I've ever had in my life.

I referenced "Freedom Writers" in my original post. If you are familiar with that movie you will recall that pretty, blonde, "Suzy Creamcheese" arrives in the Black school all set to do great things, but they just blow her off as patronizing, pretentious and shallow. It isn't until she reevaluates her beliefs and attitudes and reaches out to understand what her kids lives are like that she has her breakthrough. She could have given up and left for a nice White suburban school, but chose to stay rather than quit She fought the school administration and made things happen. You have to respect her courage and commitment, but no one could have impugned her teaching skills if she had given up and gone to a less challenging school.

As has been noted, some teachers find a way to make it all work out here, some never do, despite their best, sincere efforts. I don't mean to denigrate any teacher who leaves as being lacking in skills, professionalism, or attitude. However, when you have seen teachers who DO make it work, then you can't leave and tell the world that's "it's just impossible to teach there"... it may have been impossible for YOU to teach here.

Teachers who are considering coming out to the Navajo Nation to teach should be forewarned about the high level of commitment that it takes to succeed here, but the personal rewards are there too.

One serious word of warning. If you have school age children, they may have a hard time in a Navajo school. I've seen several teachers resign mid-term because it was just too hard on their kids who couldn't make friends or were being picked on and bullied. On the other hand, I've seen other cases where the kids fit in just fine, had many friends, and were quite popular. Once again, it depends on personality and attitudes, but be forewarned before you bring your kids out here that they will face challenges and will need a confident and outgoing personality to make it.

I do not want people to read some of these comments and dismiss the whole idea of teaching on the rez. We need teachers who will commit to doing whatever it takes to help and inspire our kids. We need teachers who will stick it out for more than a year because the 2nd year gets a lot easier when people know that you care enough to stay. We need positive role models. I do, perhaps, over-react to negative comments because of the damage it can cause. I hope my postings have been realistic about what it takes to succeed here and I hope a few teachers will read this and consider coming out to the rez. You will, at least, have a realistic view of how much will be required of you.

Thanks for reading. If anyone is interested in finding a job, feel free to contact me and I may be able to help.

[motormaker]

^^^ Sorry to say FarDareisMai hasn't pated here since 2010.

[PizzaEdge]

I believe Pinon Teachers have a FaceBook page where potential applicants can ask questions about working in Pinon----

https://www.facebook.com/PinonTeacherConnection

[AZheart]

Much of what others have stated is true. Although I did find teaching to be everything I had hoped. It does take time for the native people to warm up to non natives or anyone who is new. I loved the kids and truly miss being there. My issues were with administration and the lack of support from principals/superintendent. Maybe its different now, as I see there is a new superintendent, but the one principal remains. I am native and so were my children, they had a difficult time with other students. Education should be a positive experience for everyone. Pinon is very rural, but I loved it, as I grew up in a rural area. My advice, be patient with the students and families, as they have had years of mistreatment by non natives and it continues in the large city areas surrounding Pinon. They have also experienced issues with some well-meaning teachers who come with the thought they can "change" the people. It takes more than learning about the culture and customs. You have to go beyond culture to the past and see the people for who they are. They are not just Navajo indians, but people who have endured poverty, racism and fighting to retain their language as well as their heritage. Come with an open mind and learn from the people, books and outside information about Pinon can not provide proper infromation.