Teacher Name: Gabriel Hebisen
Position: 5th Grade Teacher
Phone: 907-438-2311 Ext. 2
Email: ghebisen@smcsd.us
"The teacher is of course an artist, but being an artist does not mean that he or she can make the profile, can shape the students. What the educator does in teaching is to make it possible for the students to become themselves.” Paolo Freire
Welcome
Waqaa! I’m Mr. Hebisen, and I’m the 5th grade teacher here at Elicarvicuar Elementary school in St. Mary’s Alaska. As a teacher, I believe that it is my job to not only help students find knowledge within and about their own world, but also to learn to make choices for themselves and the world they will inherit.
I came to teaching later in my life, though I have worked with young people since I was a teenager. I knew that I wanted to pursue a life in which I was working to make the world a better place, and eventually discovered that through becoming an educator, I could do that, not only for current generations, but for future generations as well. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Northeastern Illinois University, and have taught in Chicago, Hawai’i, and Alaska.
While I am a “city kid” at heart, I love the community here in St Mary’s. In fact, I love it enough that after teaching for three years on the big island of Hawai’i, I have returned to work here in St. Mary’s again. I love traveling, food, and the arts, and even studied acting when I was young.
Teaching in St. Mary’s has been one of the most impactful experiences in my life. The community is loving and warm and has always accepted and appreciated me. The connection to traditional Yup’ik ways is felt by every student and staff, which only serves to make this place more unique and special.
