The Year of Miss Agnes

Lovely. Heart-warming, entertaining, and educational.

First, though, I have to disagree just a bit with another reviewer who accuses this of being just another unrealistic story about the amazing success of an inspirational teacher. Miss Agnes had already honed her craft on other Alaskan children for years in another, larger school. And most of these kids were *eager* to learn whatever they could in between all the migratory fishing and trapping activities.

And Miss Agnes knew enough about their traditional culture to respect it. Compared to the other teachers who had tried to serve in this village, almost anybody could have had some success - Miss Agnes had more because she knew her stuff - and because the student body, even at show more full-capacity, was fewer than a dozen students in all grades together.

And that's what made this very short book so successful for me. I did believe in it, and Miss Agnes' teaching strategies, with all my heart. I especially found the details of Alaskan life and culture, circa 1948, very interesting. I like how Fred tells Grandpa that 10M. people died in WWII, 20 M wounded, and Grandpa reflects about how isolated they were, and how they had no idea the war was such a big deal.

Lots of good stuff in a very short book. Hill could have written an adult-sized novel, but instead she pared every non-essential episode, every non-essential word, from the story, making it accessible to even the youngest independent readers. A fast reader should take the time to reread it, and catch more of the details as they skip by. show less

Set in remote Alaska in 1948, this award-winning classic deals with the arrival of a magical teacher to a tiny Indian village. English-born Miss Agnes had been on her way back to England after years of teaching in Allakaket, Alaska, when she’s persuaded to fill in for the rest of the year for a teacher who fled 10-year-old Fred’s (that’s for Frederika) one-room school in October.

Miss Agnes literally gets rid of the out-of-date, second-hand textbooks, and teaches the students to read, write and figure — as well as about the wider world, art, literature, music, science and even sign language! Children who had loathed school, a place that made them feel stupid and smelly and weird, now love learning. But will Miss Agnes leave at show more the end of the school year like all the others?

As a teacher, I found Miss Agnes humbling. As with the books Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire: The Methods and Madness Inside Room 56, My Posse Don't Do Homework and The Freedom Writers Diary or the movies Stand and Deliver or The Miracle Worker, I can only dream of being half as capable as these education heroes. Yes, this is a children’s book, but one that anyone would adore. I will be reading more from Alaskan-born author Kirkpatrick Hill, who spent three decades teaching in remote Alaska, like Miss Agnes. show less

Though she is just ten years old, Frederika has seen many teachers come and go from the school in her village. For some, it is too remote from the rest of civilization. For some, the hardships are too great. For some, the constant smell of fish is just too overpowering. In October of 1948, one such teacher leaves the village -- and another one comes. Miss Agnes, a veteran teacher who has worked for years in another part of Alaska, was on her way home to England, but she agreed to stay through the school year to help out Fred's community. Miss Agnes is a teacher like none Fred and her friends have ever met. She wears pants! She throws away the battered old schoolbooks and brings out her own collection of books, maps, and supplies! She show more even encourages Fred's older sister, who is deaf, to attend school, and she and the children learn sign language together. Miss Agnes talks about children from Fred's village as if they have a future beyond the confines of their rural area, and the children start to believe it, too. But what will happen when the year is up and Miss Agnes returns to England? Will everything go back to the way it was?

I had never heard of this book until I picked it up from the library shelf, where it was languishing in quiet obscurity. It portrays a way of life that will be unfamiliar to many readers, coupled with the tale of the triumph of alternative methods of education. I enjoyed the story, though it's a quiet one that will not necessarily appeal to all readers. show less

In her small Alaskan village, Fred (short for Frederika) is used to having teachers come and go...but mostly go. This teacher seems different. Miss Agnes doesn't mind the fish smell from lunch, she puts the dingy old books in storage and covers the walls with maps and pictures and reads aloud. She even invites Fred's older sister Bokko to come to school even though she's deaf. The students know that they only have Miss Agnes for one year before she moves back to England but they are determined to learn as much reading, writing and math as they can - and so is Miss Agnes.

This book makes me smile! I love the simple dedication Miss Agnes has to teaching and the pride Fred and the other students take in their learning is fantastic. Between show more being set in 1948 and in the Alaskan wild, there is a lot for students to take in that is quite different than the world they know. show less

I find all the Kirkpatrick Hill books I've read so far to be really satisfying --fascinating historical details, good characters, believable and heartwarming. Like Louise Erdrich's books, a good alternative or addition to Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Told from the perspective of ten year old Fredericka, the reader is drawn into the story of a beloved teacher who changes the lives of her young pupils.

The year is 1948 and while many teachers have come and gone, Miss Agnes is different. Unafraid of the rough Alaskan frontier, and empathetic to children who have rudimentary social and intellectual skills, the children thrive under her tutelage.

This is a wonderful story, filled with hope and courage.

With a gift of teaching and the ability to impart the thrill of knowledge, this is a woman who made a difference, simply by being herself and accepting others.

Loved.
School year 1948-1949, A small town in Alaska can’t keep a teacher. Finally, a seasoned teacher takes the job. Her unusual tactics brings new life to the community.
I love that the author includes so many cultural activities into the story. The story of the deaf older sister getting an opportunity to learn was the biggest pull. American Sign Language is my passion.