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Kate Newmyer 2024 Teacher on the Trail
Think of a time when you had to persuade someone to do something or think a certain way. What strategies did you use? Was it easy or difficult? Did you have to think about which examples or reasons were the most important? Last week, I attended a fundraiser for a very special place in our …
What do Alaska winter gear and spacesuits have in common? A lot, as it turns out. Both of these specialized sets of apparel have features designed to protect the wearer from environmental hazards such as extreme temperatures, debris impact, and radiation. Gear must have many other functions such as pockets and clasps for tools and …
As of today’s posting, the Iditarod starts in only 42 days–and there are now 43 mushers signed up! It’s exciting to think that these teams will soon be getting out on the Iditarod Trail. How will you get your classroom excited and “geared up” for the race? Students always want to know who the …
What would it be like for your students to become a musher for a day? Or to transform into the race marshal, a pilot, or dog handler? How would they feel to wear what Iditarod volunteers wear, to speak as they do, and to inhabit their experiences? This lesson, “Iditarod Living Museum,” is a close …
Jon Van Zyle’s official poster for the 2016 Iditarod shows an immense snowy wilderness framed by mountains. A musher crouches over a small fire, which lights the surrounding dimness with a faint light. Nearby, shadowy figures of sled dogs at rest dot the snow. Off to the side, the trail leads our eye into the …
It’s December, and this Gulf Coast resident is watching with envy from afar as dog teams travel down snowy trails in Alaska and run first-of-the-winter short races. Winter in my part of Texas could be considered “shorts weather” in Alaska! I shared photos of the recent deep snowfall in Anchorage with my students—and they were …
What do you picture when you think about the Iditarod? If you have never seen this amazing event in person, you rely on photos and videos taken by others. Spectators who have experienced the Last Great Race might show you their snapshots of a dogsled traveling over sparkling snow, the fur on the dogs’ bodies …
One of the things I love most about the Iditarod is the international flavor present at the event. According to Iditarod Race History, mushers from twenty-five countries have participated in the Iditarod. Astronauts from twenty-one countries have visited the International Space Station. So in this sense, the Iditarod has space exploration beat! I thought it …
Teaching is a great example of a shared journey. Each year is a little bit different. We build kinship and camaraderie with our colleagues and team over time. Within our classes, we intentionally build community among our students as the year progresses. The more I learn about the Iditarod, the more I come to …
When my son Andrew was a freshman in high school, he took a course called AP Human Geography that sounded really interesting to me. My curiosity was even more piqued when my next child took the same class. What is this human geography stuff, I wondered? I asked my kids about their assignments, and it …