Teacher of the Year Ray Voley: 

                                  The eyes of the future are on us.

On the first day of class each year, Raymond J. Voley starts his students off with a dose of humor.  “I tell them that there’s no use trying to hide their passion for history.  ‘I know this is your favorite class of all time.  Despite your jaded, tired, and tough looks, inside you are just overflowing with excitement for the discipline of history.’

“Some laugh, some act disgusted, and a few think I’m crazy.  But insanity can be a rather useful tool—especially for a history teacher.”  Ray Voley’s brand of “insanity” has earned him the respect, admiration, and even love of students, colleagues, parents, and community members.  And it has earned him the honor of being chosen Alaska’s Teacher of the Year for 2008.

Ray and his “Kennecott Cadre” of high school students stand in front of the imposing ruins of the Kennecott Mine.  The team produced a 90-minute, Ken Burns style documentary about the history of Kennecott.

Ray teaches history and technology at tiny Kenny Lake School in the Copper River School District.  Last year his students produced a 90-minute documentary, called BONANZA! on the history of the Kennecott Mine.  Under Ray’s guidance the students researched, interviewed individuals who lived at Kennecott during its heyday, wrote a 25-page script, and filmed all the footage.  They also edited and produced the film, which has received accolades across the state. 

BONANZA! is just the latest example of how Ray brings history alive for his students.  Over his eight years in Kenny Lake, Ray has organized a number of history nights for the community to feature his students’ work.  A student-written play about the French Revolution prompted community members to comment that they learned so much about the French Revolution.

His mission is to eradicate what he calls “historical amnesia,” particularly in young people leaving high school.  He views the widespread ignorance of history as one of the greatest threats facing our country. “I am personally committed to turning the tide of historical illiteracy in our schools.  How can a student who knows nothing about the Declaration of Independence or the U.S. Constitution ever be expected to defend our country?  How can we have an American spirit without an understanding of how America was shaped?”

The historical amnesia carries into Alaska history as well.  “I honestly believe that one reason for Alaska’s high transiency rate is that students do not develop a sense of the state’s unique position, an understanding that can come through a rigorous Alaska Studies course.”

That’s why Ray has worked for three years with the Alaska Humanities Forum, helping teachers make Alaska Studies come alive for their students.  As a master teacher, he has written many lessons for the Alaska history site akhistorycourse.org.

“If we can stir excitement within our students about Alaska’s past, perhaps we can encourage them to take a vested interest in our state’s future.

“I am stunned by how little students know about the rich Native cultures that existed before the first Russians arrived.  They lack an understanding of the brave men and women who have helped shape the state we live in today—people such as Howard Rock, Elizabeth Peratrovich, Ernest Gruening, William Paul, Sheldon Jackson and many others.

“How many people know there were attempts to detonate atomic bombs near Point Hope?  How many students know that the people of Barrow protested federal hunting laws by shooting ducks and turning themselves in to the authorities in one of the great civil disobedience campaigns in the state’s history?”

Ray places the blame for the problem squarely on the shoulders of schools and teachers.  “No one else is to blame; no one else is responsible for the remedy.”

It is essential, he believes, that history teachers know the content they are teaching.  “To think that there are high school history teachers in the U.S. who don’t have a degree in history makes me wince.” 

Ray’s second antidote to historical amnesia is passion.  “History teachers must become innovative and find ways to ignite their students’ minds.  If a teacher is positive, passionate, and enthusiastic about the material, the students will become interested.”

Because he knows young people are enthusiastic users of technology, he incorporates high tech into his classroom, also ensuring that his students are well prepared for the future.  He has taught inservices about the use of technology in teaching, and one of his Alaska Studies courses is creating historical documentaries.

Ray’s philosophy of education is deceptively simple:  Give students models of excellence in all different facets of life and learning; help them recognize and develop their hidden talents; and give them the tools to aspire to higher levels of excellence.

“It’s my job to reach deep into my quiver and find methods and strategies that inspire my students.  I combine reading, writing, history, technology, and drama.

“My greatest accomplishments center on those times when I personally inspired students who had a poor history of connecting with adults.  I live for those ‘moments of grace,’ the times I feel as though I have helped change or inspire a life.  These precious moments keep me going.

“I remember trying to teach the vocabulary word ‘persuade’ to my Yup’ik students in Scammon Bay.  I climbed up on my desk and threatened to jump, and I asked the students to ‘persuade’ me to do otherwise.  Many of the students told me to go for it, but one boy, who had a history of reading and writing difficulties, said, ‘No, Mr. Voley.  You can’t.  I won’t let you!’

“I asked him why. ‘Because I love you!’  This student later took on the part of Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet and then played the lead in Macbeth.”

Ray landed his first teaching job almost 15 years ago in the small Yup’ik village of Scammon Bay.  He taught students caught between two worlds:  the world of technology, materialism, and individuals, and the other world of their ancestors—communalism, hunter-gathering, and a vigorous outdoor lifestyle toward which he still feels his heart drawn.

“I taught fifth and sixth grade for six years, and for the first two years I never got it right.  I struggled with discipline, motivation, and creating class unity that would allow us to move forward.”  Then the grandmother raising two of his students told him her philosophy of raising children.  She picked a child from Ray’s class who was well behaved and entreated her young children to watch this student and emulate his or her behaviors.

The grandmother said, “Do what they are doing.  Notice how they pay attention to the teacher.  Notice how they play with other students.  If you’re doing something that they are not doing, don’t do it.” 

“She taught her children to notice, observe and practice excellence.

“Teachers must show students how to endure and how to plow ahead despite the frustrations.  We must model tenacity.  We must look at all our students as Michelangelo looked at a block of granite.  The realist sees the block of granite as an obstacle that must be moved before the scene can be enjoyed. The teacher must see the beauty of a David hidden within the rock.”

Ray brought a rich and diverse background to the profession.  He has lived in Alaska for 19 years, working as a fishing and whitewater river guide, and as a journalist during his early years in the state. He taught fifth-grade through high school at Scammon Bay for six years. This is his eighth year as the high school social studies and technology teacher at Kenny Lake School. He earned degrees in Political Science and History from the University of Utah, and a Masters of Arts in Teaching from the University of Alaska Anchorage.  Now he lives in a log cabin with his wife and two children. 

Ray’s father taught him the importance of respect for elders, a lesson he re-learned in Scammon Bay and has carried over to Kenny Lake.

He takes his own teenage son with him when he hunts, teaching him the importance of respecting game animals, and then the importance of giving away the meat to those elders who are no longer able to hunt and who need the food.  Ray helps World War II veterans shore up their homes for winter, cutting wood for them and other elders.  For the past seven years he has organized the Veterans Day Assembly at his school.  They invite veterans into the school and honor them with student speeches, multimedia programs, and respect. 

He has been the organizer of the American Legion’s Oratorical Contest, which requires students to prepare a 10-minute speech on the U.S. Constitution.  He sees this as one of the best ways of instilling civic virtues in the younger generation, while connecting them with local veterans.

Special needs students are also close to his heart, and for many years he has helped with the Copper Basin Special Olympics.  He also organized and for three years coached a Native Youth Olympics team.

On top of his teaching and many community activities, Ray is also a leader in the Copper Valley Teachers Association.  This year he is serving as vice-president and as a member of the bargaining team.

“Teachers have always been my heroes.  I love adventure.  I have survived a plane crash, a bear attack, and a rafting trip down the Grand Canyon during which I flipped my raft.  However, none of these experiences compares to the greatest adventure of my life—teaching.”

 Jan08