The letter “C” came calling completely and conclusively today as I tackled my next big day as Teacher on the Trail. I was fortunate enough to visit the most amazing school, Knik Charter School in Wasilla, where I presented about the Iditarod to classes from Kindergarten to 5th grade. The teacher I spent the day with was an incredible wealth of information and I learned more than I ever thought possible about Alaska, the school, the culture, education, and the life of their students. To say that I see things differently after today is an understatement. Here is my journey with this incredible school and the letter “C”.
Alaska Skin “Crack”: Within moments of my arrival I was gifted with a jar of this amazing moisturizer made from moose tallow and oils. It is phenomenal at protecting the skin in harsh weather environments.
Camaraderie: The way the staff comes together in working with students and the pride they show is impressive. I loved the entire feel of the school from how the classroom buildings are set up to the warm and welcoming attitude of the staff. They were so happy to have a visitor, going above and beyond to make me feel at home and special in their presence.
Culture: Immersed in the native culture, the staff went so far as to hold an “Alaskan Potluck” for me with a variety of foods including moose spaghetti, moose sausage, moose roast, smoked salmon jerky, salmon berry pie, and something I was not expecting… seal meat and whale intestines, both soaked in seal oil. I made a promise to myself when I began this journey that I would embrace all that it had to offer. So, with a good attitude and a smile on my face, I tried both! I can now say I did it… and I’m not in a hurry to do it again.
Climate: I learned that the climate can have a drastic impact on student health. Because of the lack of sunlight, students are in dire need of fresh fruits to get the vitamin D that is so essential or they will get very ill. Every Friday students are given a piece of fresh fruit to take home in addition to having it for lunches as well.
Construction: What a unique set-up this school has! In addition to all classrooms being housed in numbered portable buildings, they are blessed with a STEAM center that houses everything from drones and 3D printers to CAT and flight simulators. Improvements are ever evolving including a yurt and greenhouse, which tragically were lost due to high winds.
What truly stuck out to me above all else was the students…. courteous, clever, confident, considerate students who treated me with the utmost kindness and respect. THAT is how you know you are in a great school!
“C” a few classroom ideas here:
- Canine Careers- evaluate different types of working dogs and make 30 second commercials for them.
- Commentator- watch a 30 second Iditarod clip and become commentators for the race. Write the script and perform for others.
- Compare and Contrast- northern vs southern route, musher jobs vs sled dog jobs, Iditarod vs another race, one dog team position vs another
- Calorie Count- research how many calories dogs need, compare to their own lunches and even create a musher meal plan
- Checkpoints- turn checkpoints into varying literacy centers for students to complete: a short nonfiction passage, an Iditarod photo and inferening, a vocabulary word challenge, a trail fact, adjectives and describing scenes, etc.
