Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/436829
P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y S C O T T B U S C H M A N C e r t a i n e v e n t s (prom, back to school night, homecoming) require that teachers stay late, which usually means missing the last ferry to the mainland, which departs at 7:30 p.m. "When that happens, teachers will spend the night at a hotel or on somebody's couch," says Maxwell, who stays on the island weekdays. And then there's the "schlep" factor, as teachers bring supplies to and from the island. Some have been involved with a recycling fundraiser and transport carts with plastic and aluminum containers from school to ship to shore to recycling center. boundaries; parent-teacher conferences occur sponta- neously in the town's grocery store or coffee shops. "You have to be a certain type of individual to work here," muses special education teacher Mary Jane Maxwell, one of the Teachers Association of Long Beach (TALB) members at the school. "You need a sense of wanderlust. You must have flexibility and a sense of adventure." Getting here is half the n T i n a N e w h a r d r u s h e s t o m a ke t h e 6 : 1 5 a . m . f e r r y. She has one shoe on and carries the other, hobbling up the gangplank. "I can't believe that today, of all days, my alarm didn't go off," she says breathlessly as the boat departs from Long Beach. "This never happens to me." She's one of about a dozen teacher commuters on the early morning ferry. Some sleep, draped in coats or blankets. Others grade papers and sip coffee. Several commute daily; some stay on the island a few days a week. The round-trip fare, $54 per day for "regulars," is paid for by Long Beach Unified School District. Newhard, a fourth- and fifth-grade combination class teacher, wakes up at 4 a.m., drives 20 miles to the dock in Long Beach, finds parking and boards the ferry to Avalon. From there, it's a mile walk to school. Islanders, driving by in golf carts, ask her and other teachers trudging up the hill if they want a ride. Unless it's raining, Newhard likes the exercise. She catches the 3:45 p.m. ferry home most days. Newhard vacationed on the island as a child and vowed that one day she would come back and teach here. She says the 70-minute boat ride beats LA freeway traffic any day. But some days are easier than others. "In rough seas they cancel the b o a t , a n d t h e n we h ave to m a ke a decision: Do we want to go to San Pedro and get on a helicopter at our own expense, or take a personal day? Most of us take a personal day." Missing the early boat means taking a helicopter to avoid being late. The flight costs $125. The landing pad is further from the school than the dock, so they hail a taxi. "Yes, I demoted myself," says former administrator Eileen Torres- Zeller, cheering at a rally. She now teaches sixth- and seventh-grade English and intervention classes. "We have more students going to four-year colleges than we did a decade ago," says Joanel Huart. Anita Rockwell, art teacher and liaison to the conservancy, draws the "most visible landmark" on the island, the Avalon Casino. boundaries; parent-teacher conferences occur sponta- neously in the town's grocery store or coffee shops. "You have to be a certain type of individual to work here," muses special education teacher Mary Jane Maxwell, one of the Teachers Association of Long Beach (TALB) members at the school. "You need a sense of wanderlust. You must have flexibility and a sense of adventure." "We have more students going to four-year colleges than we did a decade ago," says Joanel Huart. P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y S C O T T B U S C H M A N stay late, which usually means missing the last ferry to the "When that happens, teachers will spend the night at a hotel or on somebody's couch," says Maxwell, who stays And then there's the "schlep" factor, as teachers bring supplies to and from the island. Some have been involved with a recycling fundraiser and transport carts with plastic and aluminum containers from school to ship to shore to 38 www.cta.org Feature