2007 Teacher of the year — Ina Bouker

When Ina Bouker teaches a unit on pike, she goes out to catch one of the predatory fish and dissects it in class so her students can see what’s in its stomach.

They’ve seen a mouse, a small bird, insects and other pike. Ina demonstrates how to cut and dry and later eat the fish. She teaches students how to make a pike akutaq (wild berry dish) with lowbush cranberries they had picked in the fall.

She helps them go online for additional research about pike. She helps them create an art project of a pike in its environment. She tells them a traditional Yup’ik story of how the pike got its long, skinny head. And she shows them how to make a pike fish print for a Father’s Day present.

“I demonstrate that learning is fun, just as it should be,” said the Dillingham EA member, who has been named the 2006 Alaska Teacher of the Year.

Ina Bouker was the 9th of 12 children growing up in the Yup’ik village of Manokotak in southwest Alaska. She credits her parents’ quiet and nonjudgmental parenting for training her to become the teacher she is today. Learning English only when she started school, she was fascinated by her first teacher, but struggled with reading comprehension.

“I had no idea what a farm was or a cat, or why a dog was living inside the house with the strange looking, yellow haired people.” She saw a cat for the first time when she insisted that Mrs. Page bring one to the village.

Ina attended Mt. Edgecumbe in Sitka then became the first in her large family to graduate from college. With Ina’s encouragement, her three younger siblings also earned their college degrees and are now teaching in other school districts.

Ina’s philosophy of teaching begins with respect for her students. She experiments with different teaching techniques, mixing and matching to discover what works best for each student. Instead of focusing on drills and practice exercises, she focuses on teaching her students to become active learners.

Fluent in English and Yup’ik, Ina creates bridges of understanding between school and the community. She incorporates cultural practices and values into the classroom, and she encourages her students to be responsible for and proud of their studies.  

 “I look forward to going to work each day. I enjoy watching children gain the ability to cooperate and respect others. No matter what I teach, the respect that I show my students will pave their way to the world of learning. Earning the students’ love, trust, and respect is my greatest reward.”