Mentor Biography
Marcia Indahl
I received a B.S. and M.S. from Bemidji State University in Minnesota, both education degrees, followed by National Board Certification in English Language Arts / Early Adolescence. I was fortunate to receive the Fulbright "Teacher to Japan" Award in 2000 where I studied Japanese culture and education with teachers from all fifty states. During the course of my career, I spent six years teaching elementary school in northern Minnesota and then the next 23 in bush and urban Alaska, the last 16 years at Hanshew Middle School in Anchorage, teaching reading and language arts classes. Since retiring from the regular classroom in 2010, I have taught literacy classes at the University of Alaska Anchorage as well as classes focusing on multicultural issues for new-to-state teachers.
"This is my second year with the mentor project. I'm excited by the challenge and opportunity that my role as a mentor will no doubt continue to provide. I feel privileged to be in a position where my experience can be used to encourage and assist Alaska's early career teachers. I believe that timely, effective mentoring can truly have a remarkable, positive effect on both student achievement and teacher retention in Alaska."