I graduated with an M.A. in Composition and a TESL Certificate from Cal Poly in 1993. I am completing my second year of a two year full time teaching assignment on the Pacific Island of Pohnpei, one of the four island states of the Federated States of Micronesia. My job is Instructor of Intensive English as a Second Language. I came to the Pacific region after answering an ad online from the Chronicle of Higher Education. There were 110 applicants for my job.

  Teaching at College of Micronesia has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. The college's Intensive English program was funded originally by a grant study through Title III. I got to get right in there immediately and write computer aided laboratories for the reading program, which I also developed. The program consists of Intensive ESL reading, writing, speaking/listening, math, and social studies. The coursework is integrated across these disciplines.

  I have learned a great deal on the job in these two years. Because our department is small, I got to do a wide variety of activities. I started a former student mentorship program so that former students could serve as role models of success to new students. My former students took the program very seriously and 49 of them visited classes to give talks, did follow up visits with troubled students, and generally made that program a success. I got to travel to Australia last summer where I visited a community college to get information on vocational programs for my campus. I served on the hiring committee, the library committee, the peer evaluation committee, and the textbook selection committee. I also got to do academic counseling, teach teachers in numerous seminars, and do all kind of things that make a resume look good and fat

  The students at the state campus of College of Micronesia are some of the most challenging developmental students in the world. I learned a lot about being a teacher here. About one in sixteen of our students has a severe, undiagnosed attention deficit disorder. Most live in poverty and come from homes where alcoholism and violence against women and children are the norm. In addition, school is not mandatory for Micronesians, so they begin our program reading AND THINKING at only third grade level. Students are often beaten for reading at home and for wanting to come to school. The students themselves are a pleasure to work with. Micronesians are generally shy and good natured. They are a pretty people who laugh often and are warm to strangers to their islands.

  The college pays my rent. I live in a two bedroom apartment with air conditioning, cable TV, new furniture, and covered parking. The college shipped 4,000 pounds of household goods, paid airfare for me and my husband ( who is retired), and made me feel at home immediately. National health insurance come with the job. The island itself is extraordinarily beautiful. It is tropical and has a pristine reef. We go every Sunday to Lenger island, about 10 minutes offshore, to snorkel and swim. The scuba diving is some of the best in the world, as is the tuna from local waters. We have been suffering from an EL Nino induced drought for a number of months and water has been rationed. We have water hours and have to boil all water for drinking, and cooking. Fires are a big worry. We have had several that burned for weeks because the soil is burning and there is no water to put them out.

  The job also offers opportunities for travel. Teachers can request educational leave to visit other cultures. I have traveled to Fiji, Bali, Guam, and Australia. My colleagues have been supportive, open to new ideas, generous, and professional. The college is accredited by the Western States Association of Community Colleges. The national campus is also located on the island of Pohnpei and is a one year old 10 million dollar campus. The state campuses are on Pohnpei, Chuuk, Koshrae, and Yap. English is the language of instruction. The American dollar is the local currency. If you are interested in World War II history, you can have a blast exploring the island because there are numerous sites of Japanese military artifacts. 

Penny Irion, Cal Poly Class of 1994
English Instructor