Gary Paulsen, an Iditarod finisher, is one of my favorite authors for my 4th grade students. Paulsen’s style of writing is engaging and keeps the readers on their toes. Currently my language arts class is reading Hatchet, a story of a thirteen year old boy who survives a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness. I …
Rounding whole numbers can be a challenging concept for elementary students, but adding the Iditarod to it makes learning so much more enjoyable! This rounding lesson is one of my favorites! In this lesson the Iditarod Trail Committee invites students to become “math mushers” and they must race down the trail, including taking two mandatory …
Yesterday I finished up my first week of school for the 2016-2017 school year. It was a fun week introducing my students (and their parents) to the Iditarod. I didn’t miss a beat getting Iditarod started in my classroom—I started by reading Dallas Seavey’s Born to Mush to my language arts class. We are about halfway …
I couldn’t contain my excitement in the Las Vegas airport earlier today as I walked back from the Hudson Newsstand. With a smile on my face I explained to eight of my co-workers that I just bought the newest issue of Runner’s World Magazine and Anna and Kristy Berington were on the cover it. This …
Today was a day the teachers have been waiting all week for! Today was the volunteer picnic and first day mushers can sign up for the 2017 Iditarod. It was a beautiful day spent meeting rookies, chatting with veterans, and listening to stories from the volunteers. By the end of the picnic there were 52 …
Tonight was a page out of a Gary Paulsen book. While out on an evening drive with a few other teachers we spotted a porcupine, a moose, and a BEAR! Living in Chicago these are not animals I see every day, so I was quite energized to see all three in one night. The moose and …
On Tuesday the teachers had an emotional visit from Iditarod veteran musher, DeeDee Jonrowe. 371 days ago DeeDee’s life changed forever. 371 days ago the Sockeye fire began and destroyed many homes and livelihoods of those in Willow, AK. DeeDee shared her story of heartache with us, and invited us over to see the rebuilding …
The last two days at summer camp have been quite exciting. We’ve listened to presenters, gone on puppy walks, and enjoyed getting to know one another. However, besides the adorable puppies, there have been two parts that have stuck out to me. First, Jeff Schultz, official Iditarod photographer, visited us and taught us his best …
I am so excited to be the 2017 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™! I teach 4th grade at Saint Andrew School in Chicago, and I will be starting my eighth year this fall. I teach math, social studies, language arts, and religion. Besides teaching at Saint Andrew I also run an after school Irish dance …
The time has come for me to say “good-bye” to my Teacher on the Trail™ Iditarod year. I started this journey a year ago. I have had the most extraordinary year sharing and learning with teachers and Iditarod fans around the world. I spent some time today scrolling through hundreds of photos and videos from …
