Ben Dexter

Hi there, I’m Ben and I’ll be working with you for these next couple of weeks. I'm going to be moving to Tok right after this class gets out, that's where I'll be teaching next year. For the past four years I lived and taught in Tuluksak, a small village on the Kuskokwim River. I'm gonna miss that place, but I'm really excited about living and working in Tok.

Speaking of being really excited, I'm REALLY excited to be having a baby boy this September. I've got a daughter, who is pretty excited to be a big sister. Judging by how much he likes to kick his mom's tummy, he's pretty excited to meet us, too. Our family is just about the best thing ever and I try to be with them as much as possible. I'm pretty sure I'll talk about them almost all the time.

I teach high school Language Arts, which is a great job. I recommend it to anyone who is interested at all. Sure, the idea of spending the next 30 years of my life in a high school is a little cringe-inducing, but I just take it one day at a time.

In addition to being the most amazing Language Arts teacher you’ll probably ever have, I have also coached volleyball. Mix 6 volleyball, to be exact. That’s where you have boys and girls on the same team. If you’ve never lived in a village in rural Alaska, you’ve probably never heard of it. Tok doesn't have mix 6 volleyball, so I won't be coaching that this year, but they do have hockey. I don't think I'll be coaching this year, what with the baby coming.

Occasionally I find myself not at school and have to find something else to keep me busy. That’s when I read, listen to and make music, and go crazy about sports. My favorite authors are Haruki Murakami, Isaac Bashevis Singer, and John Steinbeck. I like all kinds of music, but for some reason a disproportionate amount of it is Canadian. I play guitar and banjo pretty well, and a few other instruments not so well. As far as sports, I prefer baseball and hockey. I also really enjoyed watching the Seahawks win the Super Bowl this year. It was almost as glorious as me winning my fantasy football league!