Teaching at the Top of the World

An adventurous woman’s frightful and humorous tales—the characters she met, life on the Trans-Alaska pipeline, and teaching in Alaska Bush villages.

Marilyn Forrester arrived in Alaska in 1977 with a goal of striking it rich by being a welder on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. With her traumatic divorce behind her, a new English degree,  return airline ticket,  and $200 in her pocket, she was ready for adventure. However, she didn’t do welding, but had unique and exciting adventures as she worked for Alyeska Pipeline Service Company in Anchorage, at Pump Station Five, and later at Prudhoe Bay. While working at Prudhoe Bay, she applied for  a teaching position at Alaska Business College, and was immediately hired. Marilyn discovered she loved teaching and learning! After many humorous predicaments, she was hired at the Bush village of Napaskiak. As a teacher, Marilyn has a deep love for children that shines through in Teaching at the Top of the World. Sometimes Marilyn reflected, “And they are even paying me to do this job.” She became an advocate for her Special Education students. Her many adventures include being lost in a whiteout while walking home from school, showering without soap and drying with Kleenex, and golfing in the Nome Bering Sea Tournament. Teaching at the Top of the World chronicles the joys and hardships of living and teaching in remote Alaska. Perhaps she really did strike it rich—she affected the lives of hundreds of children.Marilyn was one of the writers featured in Alaska Women Write, a collection of stories about adventurous Alaska women.