Today I had the great opportunity to speak at Big Lake Elementary School.  First up was a morning session with the Kindergarten-2nd Grade crowd.  Before I even started I was laughing to myself.  The students entered the gym in an organized line, but following directions about how and where to sit was a bit challenging. You could see the teacher frustration – and the silent prayers of “Please don’t embarrass me in front of the guest speaker” – as they repeated instructions, negotiated who was sitting where, and made sure those friends that needed a little extra support were at the end of a row in close proximity to an adult.  Not necessarily funny, right?  But I had to chuckle.  Being six years old in Big Lake, Alaska is the same as being six years old in Irondequoit, New York.  Teachers are dealing with the same educational challenges and students are taking the same developmental journey regardless of where the school is located. Kids are Kids. 

Kids in Anvik love the Iditarod. Photo Credit: Iditarod

Kids in West Irondequoit love the Iditarod, too! Photo Credit: J. Westrich

Since this was my first run-through at presenting I was nervous and unsure of timing and pacing.  I started with a race overview and hands started popping up.  Do not engage. It should be the first rule of the school presenter.  If you allow for questions it is going to deteriorate into long, meandering stories and unrelated comments straight from the cryptic depths of a 2nd grade brain.  Did I mention that once, while teaching a school program AND while holding six-foot long boa constrictor, I asked if the students had any questions. The little boy I called on said, “I have a red bike.” This became an animated discussion of bike color and speed. All while I stood there holding a LIVE SNAKE.  I can think of nothing more engaging than a SIX FOOT LONG LIVE SNAKE, and yet little brains often follow an uncharted path.  Kids are Kids.  

The infamous clicker!

Did I mention that I am a sucker for a curious kid?  I know what is going to happen, and yet I am simply compelled to try and answer their wonderings.  So I called on the adorable student in the second row and let it roll. He asked a question. Not only that, but it was related to Iditarod. It was thoughtful and curious and I was excited to answer. Like dominoes it happened again and again.  Student after student wondered “How old do you have to be to race Iditarod?,” and “What kind of dogs run the race?,” and “How do they know where to go?”  It was exciting – and yes a little chaotic, trying to hear a 7 year-old ask a question in a gym and then pull the crowd in to hear the answer wasn’t exactly my smoothest move – but I couldn’t believe how many questions they had about the race!  It was simply another example of how interesting, engaging, and exciting Iditarod is as an educational tool.  

And then it happened.  The question I’ve gotten dozens of times before, from my own students back home. “What’s in your hand?”  It’s my clicker, it makes the slides go forward and backward so I don’t have to stand at the computer. “Can you show it to us?”  Sure. Because curiosity is curiosity, and regardless of where you live, Kids are Kids.

Big Lake Library. Photo Credit: J. Westrich

Library Learnings: Today I visited the Big Lake Public Library!  They have a great section titled “Juvenile Alaska” with several shelves of kids books set in, or focused on, life in Alaska. This reminded me of the great books on the IditarodEDU Recommended Reading List that support learning about dog sledding and the Iditarod!  Browse the list HERE, it will help with today’s question.

QUESTION: Who wrote the children’s book Kiana’s Iditarod? 

ANSWER for February 21:  Gehardt Thiart, a native of South Africa started his journey the farthest from Anchorage and is mushing this year under the slogan “AFRICA TO ALASKA IDITAROD 2023 – UNFINISHED BUSINESS”