Did you have a favorite teacher who changed your life? I did — Mrs. Ross, my high school choir teacher. Mrs. Ross was convinced every student could sing a solo. She refused to take “No” for an answer. So, like everyone else, I sang a few solos. It was scary, but soloing at concerts gave me a confidence I had never had before. She changed my life. Bless her.
The Year of Miss Agnes is a story about that kind of teacher.
Frederika (Fred) lives in a small Alaskan village that just can’t seem to keep a teacher at their one-room schoolhouse. Either it’s too cold or too remote or the students smell too much like fish! In the 4 years Fred has been a student, she’s had 6 different teachers. The students begin to worry no one will ever agree to teach in their village.
Then Agnes Sutterfield arrives. She’s British and has taught school in Alaska for many years. She understands her students in a way that no previous teacher ever has. With her acceptance of village life and her unorthodox teaching methods, she changes her students lives forever.
Agnes Sutterfield is the teacher every child deserves at least once in her life.
The Year of Miss Agnes is based on the author’s own experiences both as a student and a teacher in rural Alaska.
Middle Grade Reading Level, 128 pages, Published in 2000.
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