Christine Osthus' personal page

-- Anonymous, November 11, 1998

Answers

My family and I have lived in Duluth for nearly 5 years. During that time, I have taught at the Area Learning Center. This has involved work with Diamond Tool Dislocated Workers, teaching at a correctional facility, and most of the time, being the only math teacher at the Area Learning Center. At the ALC, we have students who are adults who are returning to school in order to get a diploma; we have high school age students who have dropped out of "regular" school; we also have students who are currently enrolled at other area high schools, but need a class or two at our facility. It is interesting work; but challenging for many reasons (as all teaching jobs are). Our students I describe as "fragile": they have already dropped out once, and they very easily become discouraged or overwhelmed, or whatever it is, and drop out again. Also, it is difficult to "get your arms around" the curriculum, since each student is at a different spot in any given course. I have also taught in a junior high in South Dakota for 5 years, and was a long-term substitute several times in the high school in Grand Marais. I have four children: 3 boys and 1 girl. The youngest is a sophomore at Duluth East. We have lived many places; the peripatetic life of a pastor's family. I am thrilled to be learning new things; particularly, I want to focus on students who are at risk of not graduating from high school because they have not passed the basic skills tests. I know there is hope for them -- at least, most of them. I would like to help develop something that is exciting, and yet delivers the needed skills so these kids can be successful and move on to the next step in their lives.

-- Anonymous, November 29, 1998