Islands and Oceans Visitor Center was the destination for Ms. Kysar’s 7th grade Reading class Thursday, October 1. In class, they have been studying about various habitats and biomes from around the world. As a part of their Ocean Study, a trip to the Center was in order. While there, all of the students earned their Junior Biologist patch by studying seabird populations, invasive species, and people of the Aleutian Islands.
These kids are fun beyond belief. They are easy to fool and I tease them incessantly! As much as I long to be back at the High School teaching, this 7th grade class makes me smile every day.
Left to right, back row: Andrean Kusnetsov, Cameron Corbell, Shane Fielding, Cody Rosenthal, Filip Reutov
Left to right, front row: Crystal Crane, Ms. Kathy Kysar

Andrean (Russian kid with strong accent) has a sing-song way of talking that makes his oral reading very dramatic and entertaining. Cameron (most mature kid of the bunch) doesn't try hard and I think he is smarter than he lets on. Shane (fun, typical, 12 year old boy) makes me laugh every day over his enthusiastic approach to life in general. Cody (small kid with a speech problem) is a born leader and doesn't know it - I am trying to nurture that within him. Filip (Russian kid with not as strong of an accent) smiles all the time and is THE #1 hardest working kid in the class. Finally, there's Crystal... ahhh, Crystal... the only girl in the class (Filipino with a strong accent). She was so quiet at first and is gaining confidence and beginning to speak with authority!
Their overwhelming enthusiasm and energy at Islands and Oceans made me feel so blessed to be their teacher.
These six 12-year-olds have blessed my life and made my time teaching at the Middle School bearable...

HHS Pwned!

As some of you may or may not know, I am the head coach of the Homer High School DDF (Drama, Debate, Forensics) Team. We had our first tournament of the season this weekend at South High School in Anchorage. Due to a lot of schedule conflicts (football, volleyball, SATs, etc) this weekend, we only took 9 students to the tourney.
However, those 9 students did spectacularly! Every one of Homer's team members placed! That has got to be some sort of record, because that just never happens!!! I am so proud of these kids that it isn't even funny!

Watch out, you BIG Anchorage Schools... Homer is the Underdog and we intend to Rock Your World this year!!!

Age Improves with Wine!

So, this summer I worked at the Bear Creek Winery in Homer, Alaska. What fun! It was the perfect antidote to teaching high school English! Everyone comes into the winery happy and leaves the winery happy. It was an awesome job... even though most folks from the lower 48 could use a lesson in the art of "tipping."

I served 18 wines in an average wine tasting, describing all of them to the customer... from the LoLo Berry (an Italian Barolo grape mixed with local Lowbush Cranberry) to Rhubarb Wine (100% estate grown and bottled) all the way to our incredible Alaskan Port (a clear spirit - aka 151 - mixed with a Muscadine Grape) which goes so great with chocolate that I may never be the same!

I met customers from all over the world and worked with a most incredible group of people - competitive dog mushers, professional bartenders, lifelong beer/wine-makers, and on and on.

Every day was a unique experience - it was most fun to tell customers, when they asked, that this was my summer job and that I actually had a Masters degree in English Education (a co-worker also had a Masters in Journalism). That's just how Homer is.

It is not unusual here to have a bartender with a Masters Degree. They choose to live in Homer for the quality of life and just take whatever job pays the bills. Folks here live life on their terms. The "Jones'" don't exist. There is no "climbing to the top" of whatever ladder is locally available. There are many a soul who throw out a grappling hook, however, to ask for local help so that they can continue to live life on their own terms.

And, folks here are generous. We live simply... and share what we can. We're all in this together, after all. We live in paradise and we know it. The more I'm here, the more this place sucks me in... more than any place that I've ever lived. And, I've live in quite a few places - suburb of St. Louis, rural Wisconsin, Shreveport, Louisiana, rural south Louisiana, rural Allegany mountains of Maryland, Couer d'Alene, Idaho... I know what I'm talking about.

But, if you're thinking of moving here... don't! The weather is horrible, the prices are unreasonable, and the schools are negligible! (at least that's what we tell the tourists)

Local Musher Visits Classroom

Here is a press release that I sent out to local media on Friday, along with pictures taken the day of the visit...
LOCAL MUSHER VISITS CLASSROOM

Jillian Rogers of Spitfire Kennels visited Ms. Kysar’s 8th Grade Reading class at Homer Middle School on Tuesday, September 29. The class has been studying about animal adaptations; in particular, adaptations of domesticated dogs. After researching different dog groups and specific breeds, Kysar invited Rogers to come share her competitive mushing experiences with the class.

Rogers began her working career as a journalist for the Yukon News in Whitehorse. After covering many a sled dog event, she developed a passion for the sport herself. She began training in Fairbanks as a handler for Ken Anderson and Lance Mackey. Since then, she has moved her team to Homer in order to better hill train the dogs this winter, as she is training for the 2011 Iditarod. She does plan to race in the Yukon Quest this season.

Rogers talked to the class about different types of mushing, common dog breeds used in the sport, and even a little of the history of modern dogsledding.

For more information about Jillian Rogers, check out www.wannabemusher.bogspot.com.

As a side note, I met Jillian working at the Winery this summer - she is a year-round employee there and they have just released a new wine, Lead Dog Mead, in her honor!