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Kate Newmyer 2024 Teacher on the Trail
What does it take to prepare for a long mission in an extreme environment? So far in this series, we have compared training for the Iditarod and astronaut training. We have learned about some differences and similarities between sleds and spacecraft. Now it’s time to talk about fuel and food. It must be getting close …
When a class “gels,” it’s a beautiful thing. Students work together willingly and support one another. They get along, and they tolerate one another’s differences. One thing you can do to really move this process along is build a shared culture of stories. For me, that’s sled dog stories. The first sled dog book I …
I love how numbers can tell stories of the world around us. One of my challenges as a 2024 finalist was to write a post with lesson ideas using math. This was the night of the Anchorage Musher Banquet, and I found myself poring over the 2023 Musher Stats page in the Iditarod program. I …
On the surface, it may seem that there aren’t a lot of commonalities between dog sleds and spacecraft. After all, a sled is a structure designed for teams of dogs to pull loads across ice and snow. Spacecraft have many components including rocket engines, service modules housing life-support mechanisms, and astronaut living quarters. But there’s …
Have you ever experienced a desire to accomplish something tremendous? It’s a feeling I can relate to! To continue the September theme of “What are they Pulling?” I want to talk about goal setting and tracking. 2024 Iditarod mushers have varied goals about the upcoming race. Canadian musher Rob Cooke says, “The goal is to …
By now teachers are back in the swing of the school year. We are diving into curriculum, analyzing data, working with coaches and mentors, and planning with our teams. We have our routines established. Our lives have returned to the rhythm of the school year. One thing we do here in Texas is a silent …
A roaring noise rumbles overhead. Suddenly a jet screams through the sky, followed right behind by another one! This is a common sight and sound in my area of Houston—it is the excitement of astronauts in flight training with T-38 Talons. You may not exactly be training your students using high-powered aircraft, but teachers everywhere …
As teachers, we know that it’s extremely important to set the tone and the expectations for your classroom. One of the areas where you can do this is with your classroom jobs. Some students love passing out papers or lab equipment, some are great line leaders or attendance-takers, some prefer non-social jobs like sharpening pencils. …
When was the last time you got completely lost in a book? I confess—for me that was yesterday. I love to read! I recharge by being alone and quiet, so I grew up filling my quiet time with amazing texts describing travel, adventure, and wonderful characters. As we enter the fall training period for young …
Welcome to my very first “Houston, We Have a Connection” post! The title calls to mind the famous line from Apollo 13 alerting mission control to the fateful explosion aboard the spacecraft. I live ten minutes from NASA’s Johnson Space Center, so this year in my role as 2024 Teacher on the Trail™, I wanted …