Hello! My name is Rebecca Sirevaag and I am looking forward to this class. I have lived a lot of different places, but consider Fairbanks my home. My family has been here since the early 80’s and I attended Lathrop High School and then UAF.
I have a BA in Theatre, with an emphasis on Acting and Directing, and I have a very strong Music Minor. After graduating from UAF, I moved to Fort Worth Texas where I worked in a small traveling Repertory Theatre group called The Company. We performed in schools, camps and a variety of venues. I was based in Fort Worth for five years and I LOVED it. While there I also tutored English for the Fort Worth ISD in grades 6-12.
Then I moved to Seattle WA, where I taught Drama for two years in a private school called Chrysalis Individualized School, which focuses primarily on kids who struggle with the regular school setting. Many of my students had learning challenges such as ADHD or dyslexia. I had the opportunity to teach k-12 drama there and I wish I could go back to that school. I learned so much from my students!
While in Seattle I met my soon to be husband, Jake Sirevaag. My first pregnancy was life altering- I almost died, my daughter almost died, and I wanted to be closer to my family (who were all still in Fairbanks). So we moved up here. I worked as an ERRI tutor at Woodriver Elementary and realized all my jobs kept leading me to schools.
I have been taking the required classes I need to teach English and Art for the last few years, and have finally entered the last few steps of this process. I hope to be an English and Art teacher here in Fairbanks, using my Theatre background and non-conventional interests to rope in my students.
I love to read! I am mostly drawn to fiction- Fantasy and Science fiction are my jam, but I read mysteries, YA fiction, Graphic literature, Shakespeare, and most anything that catches my eye. I am currently reading a non-fiction exploration of our modern fascination with zombies titled “Living with the Living Dead”.
My sister and I have sold our art jewelry at the Tanana Valley Farmer’s Market for the last 10 years as Two Sisters. We make unique one-of-a-kind pieces using an eclectic assortment of materials, including metal-smithing, beading, and wirework.
My husband and I have two amazing and challenging teenage girls, who amaze, delight and confound me on a daily basis. Abigail is an eighth grader at Tanana, and Deborah is a 10th grader at Lathrop. Together we enjoy camping and exploring Alaska.
My Education Program for becoming a teacher… I want to become more comfortable with larger groups of students. I want to work with an excellent and creative English teacher who uses multiple methods for engaging her students. I want to engage students who haven’t previously enjoyed reading, and show them how exciting it can be to enter a book and step into a new world, whether it’s non-fiction or fiction.
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