Tundra Teacher: an Alaskan Teacher and Basketball Coach Tells His Story

Anyone intrigued by the wilderness of Alaska and the challenges teachers face there would find Tundra Teacher: A Memoir by John Foley a fascinating read. In the remote Eskimo village of Gambell on St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea, Foley becomes immersed in the local Yup'ik culture, helping to haul in a whale, keeping an eye out for polar bears on his way to school, and discovering how important it is to earn respect on the basketball court. Later, Foley transfers to the Athabascan Indian village of Tetlin on the Alaska Highway near the U.S. border with Canada, where he teaches and coaches basketball. The author writes candidly but with wry, mellow humor about village life, students, teachers, women, and relationships. You can find Tundra Teacher on amazon.com.