A dream job has opened up on a remote Michigan island known for its isolation. But there’s a catch to hiring a teacher for a school of four.
Bois Blanc Island in Lake Huron is home to about 100 people and is known as the smallest school district in the state.
According to state records, Bois Blanc Pines School has never had more than five students at a time in the past decade.
Although working in a one- or two-room school may seem like a dream, the island’s weather conditions and lack of connectivity make it nearly impossible for school management to retain teachers.
Bois Blanc Island in Lake Huron is home to about 100 people and is known as the state’s smallest school district
Former teachers found it nearly impossible to find affordable, weatherproof housing while braving the harsh weather conditions.
Additionally, there are few transportation options, as most residents rely on motorized vehicles to travel the miles of unpaved roads and trails.
The only way to reach Cheboygan, the nearest mainland, is by car ferry in summer and by plane in winter.
That’s why permanent residents often stock up on groceries before the ferry stops sailing because it gets colder. Then they arrange to buy plane tickets among themselves in the colder months when they have to go to the city.
The island has only one small shop/restaurant, one inn, a post office, a fire station, a town hall, a church and a chapel.
Bois Blanc Pines School has never had more than five students at a time in the past decade and is now struggling to find a teacher due to the island’s weather conditions and lack of connectivity
The island also has only one small shop/restaurant, one tavern, a post office, a fire station, a town hall, a church and a chapel.
Christine Hasbrouck, a teaching assistant whose 11-year-old grandson is one of the students at the elementary school, said Bridge Michigan: ‘I tell everybody, “We’re remote Alaska without the mountains.”
“That’s what we are here. And a lot of people don’t understand that we’re not like Mackinac Island. Our ferries don’t run three-quarters of the year or all year.”
In addition to the challenges facing the island, school board President Cindy Riker believes it is impossible to find a teacher willing to teach students ages 5 to 14 due to the ongoing nationwide shortage.
‘Our challenge now…not just because of the island, but simply because [of] The way teachers are in this world now is such a lack.
“Finding an experienced teacher is probably out of the question,” she told the publication.
The ongoing staffing problem is becoming a major concern for parents on the island, as many worry about the quality of primary education their children receive.
There are also few transportation options on the scenic island, as most locals rely on motorized vehicles to travel the many miles of unpaved roads and trails.
The ongoing staffing problem is a major concern for parents on the island, with many parents worried about the quality of primary education their children are receiving.
School board member Amanda Beugly explained that she would like to make the island her permanent home, but she will not let her fifth-grade son and seventh-grade daughter start a new school year at the academy without an “experienced teacher.”
“I think it’s such a challenging position that you really need that experience because in a one-room school you don’t have the same support structure as in a regular school, where you have other teachers you can go to for help,” the concerned parent noted.
David Arsen, a researcher at Michigan State University, explains that if the school district can’t hire someone quickly, it might consider hiring a certified teacher to work remotely and teach students online. That way, a classroom assistant can help students in person.