All the new teachers for the Lower Kuskokwim School District huddled in the cafeteria at Bethel Regional High School last Thursday for a welcome orientation. Most of them are new to rural Alaska — some of are even new to the country. But there was one teacher there, Zachariah Pleasant, who went to class right down the hall.
Pleasant went to Mikelnguut Elitnaurviat, or M.E. School, as a kid growing up in Bethel. He later graduated from Bethel Regional High School in 2011, but he wasn’t immediately sure what career he wanted to pursue. He decided to become a teacher almost by accident after a chance encounter while fishing a few years after graduation. That day, the Lower Kuskokwim School District’s dean of students happened to be on the boat and asked Pleasant if he wanted to interview for a job.