Hi Boys and Girls,

The Iditarod start is just around the corner. Can you believe it? Is your class getting ready to follow the race? Every year teachers prepare lessons about the Iditarod just for you. Did you know that there is one special teacher who is selected by the Iditarod Education committee as the Teacher on The Trail™ ? This year Annie Kelley will be flying from checkpoint to checkpoint reporting on the race for teachers and school children who are following the race. She also provides lessons for classroom use. I bet your teacher will use some of her lessons with your class. Annie will have an amazing adventure.
I bet you’re wondering how Annie became the Teacher on the Trail™. Well her adventure began last year. She sent in an application to the Iditarod Education Department. From those applications, three teachers are selected as finalists. Annie with the other finalists flew to Alaska, participated in the teacher workshop, had interviews, wrote lesson plans, and attended the banquet, the start and the restart. After the race is over, the selection committee met and Annie was selected to be this years Teacher on the Trail™.
This year a new group of finalists have been selected. I was very lucky to interview them. Let’s give a big husky howl to these talented teachers.

Kim
Kim has been teaching for 25 years and is currently teaching 5th grade and the Read 180 reading intervention program in Montana. Kim started using the Iditarod in her classroom in 2002. That was 15 years ago!!! She was teaching 3rd grade at the time and some recreational mushers offered to work with her class. They brought a sled dog to her class and everyone was hooked!!!!! Kim and her husband now have a small recreational team of their own. Kim’s other hobbies include kayaking, biking, hiking, all snow sports and fiber arts. She assists with kayak classes and teachers crochet. When asked why she would like to be the Teacher on the Trail™, she replied “Teacher on the Trail™ is an opportunity for me to share my passions for learning and teaching, provide others with powerful teaching tools, inspire students to become engaged, active, lifelong learners, and encourage all teachers and students to pursue their passions.”

Tammy
Tammy is a Kindergarten teacher in Indiana. She has been teaching for 16 years. One of her greatest strengths includes developing lessons that will be enjoyable for everyone in her class using a hands-on approach. She has been nominated as Disney Teacher of the Year. When she’s not teaching, Tammy loves to hike and explore new destinations. She has hiked nine breathtaking national parks in the past eight years.
She earned a Lilly Teacher Creativity Grant which enabled her to hike across the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. How cool is that! I would love to take one of those hikes! Tammy has been married for 33 years and has two grown children.Why would Tammy like to be the Teacher on the Trail™? Here is her response: “It is with dogged determination (pardon the pun) that I pursue the Teacher on the Trail™ opportunity as a means to share my teaching gifts and passion for the Iditarod not only with the students in my classroom, but also with those across the globe.”

Heidi

Heidi teaches 5th grade in Virginia. She loves getting children excited about learning and seeing them stretch and accomplish. She incorporates drama and music into her classroom to help students have fun and remember concepts. That sure sounds like a fun classroom!
Heidi and her husband have 2 grown children. Her hobbies, besides the Iditarod, include exercise, music, gardening, history, travel, and organizing. During the summers, she likes to assist a professional organizer with clients’ homes.
Heidi’s response to why she’d like to be the Teacher on the Trail™: “ I would like to be Teacher on the Trail™ so that I can bring the excitement and lessons of the Last Great Race to children and teachers all over the USA and maybe the world! I want such a great event known and appreciated. There are so many life lessons that can be learned through various aspects of the race: practice, planning, character, 
perseverance, sportsmanship, camaraderie, and more. Besides that, following the race is just plain fun for students! Academics should be relevant, and incorporating the Iditarod into learning helps keep motivation high for students.”

What super teachers! I can’t wait to see to will be the next Teacher on the Trail™. Do you have a teacher that could be the Teacher on the Trail™. If so, encourage them to apply and maybe next year they will be headed for the adventure of a lifetime!

Happy Trails,
Gypsy