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Attention Teachers: Writing to Mushers

Please Remember This!

by Education Department

02/02/2008

Each year, many students around the world like to write letters to mushers and you like to have them do this to practice their skills for language arts class. We have some very important information and request that you pay close attention so that this project is successful for everyone.

Before moving forward with your lesson, remember, THIS IS THE IDITAROD SEASON and the mushers are very busy right now. Many mushers will appreciate your mail and your good wishes for their race. Very few mushers have time NOW to respond to your letters. Many will respond AFTER the race is over and the responses might even come after school is out for the summer break. This is the Iditarod Season! It is a very busy and intense training time. The musher's focus is on the race and on running healthy athletes.

First, we request you read the lesson plan that is found at the Teaching Resources page. This lesson plan gives you important hints for your content driven project. PLEASE READ the lesson plan and follow the hints. To read the PDF lesson, Click Here!

Second, if your wildest imagination includes a hope that a musher will respond to your letters, PLEASE include a self addressed stamped envelope in the letter to the musher. Mushers can get hundreds of letters during the year. Imagine the added cost to the musher for the paper, envelopes, and postage. If you write to mushers, considering doing a kind deed and send an extra stamped, blank envelope to make up for those who might not be as thoughtful as you are. Teach your students respect and responsibility. Teach your students that this project is more about wishing the mushers a great race and less about getting something in return. Stress that your students use their best handwriting and their best communication skills in their letter writing project. Let's show the mushers how hard our students work and that we as educators, work hard to teach the basic writing and communication skills.

Third, email mail me (as stated in the lesson plan) within the next week or so for addresses of mushers or email me after the race. That will ensure that you get your addresses in time to mail them in the next week so that the letters of good wishes arrive before the race. Please also include with your request, your location/and or school as well as your grade level. We enjoy hearing where you are from and hearing about your classroom projects. Thanks! djohnson@iditarod.com

The list you get will get from me will not contain all of the musher's addresses because not all mushers allow us to give out their contact information. Read the lesson plan for details to tell you what you should do if you need an address we can not provide to you. Your attention to details, such as self addressed envelopes and postage (the right kind of postage if going outside the United States) will help this project be more successful and perhaps encourage more mushers to take part in this project in future years. Enjoy the project and after the race, when letters arrive, I'll enjoy hearing from you about that, too!