By Linda Kal Sander
Finalist, 2010 Target® Teacher on the Trail(tm)
Laura Daugereau was kneeling down having a word with her leaders. She cradled both their heads, spoke words of encouragement, and maintained her focus on them. Meanwhile, organized chaos is going on around her. Her handler is sitting on the runners, volunteer dog handlers are holding back the eager dogs in swing, middle, and wheel, and the start banner on 4th Avenue is just a hundred or so yards up the road. Mindful of the thousands of spectators and noise that is the Ceremonial Start to the 37th running of the Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race, Laura’s first concern is always her dogs.
This is Laura’s sophomore running of Iditarod. She made history last year on March 15th, 2008, as the first woman from Washington State to complete the race. She placed 64th out of a field of 95 for her “rookie” run and finished with 12 happy dogs.
“I only wanted to finish the Iditarod if I could do it with happy, healthy dogs who weren’t finished at the finish line. When my team jumped up under the Burled Arch in Nome, Spruce and Blaze barking and ready to keep on going down the trail, I knew I had accomplished my goal.”
I am naturally drawn to adventurous, outgoing people, and Laura has that easy-going spirit that attracts people to her. She is easy to talk to, but if you are with her when she is around her dogs, expect her to multi-task. Her dogs are her best friends, and they always take precedence. She lives in Washington in the off-season working construction, but trains in Montana during the fall and winter. Another reason I am drawn to this musher is her love of motorcycles. Biker girls gotta stick together, you know!
When asked what was the one thing she learned from her rookie run that she would take with her to Nome this year, she said, “I have to keep my mood in check. When I was getting discouraged, my team could sense it. Their mood changed too. It was like they thought they had done something wrong and felt badly about it. No matter how upset about something I might be, I have to remain upbeat in front of my dogs. That is the biggest lesson I learned.”
Then she made a teacher connection. “You are a teacher, right? Well, if a teacher has a bad day or is in a bad mood, don’t the kids pick up on that right away? They will feel like the teacher is mad at them, and their mood will change too,” she reflected.
She has a point.
Mushers and teachers have a lot in common. We are both responsible for the care of our charges. Our attitudes and mood impact the success of our team. Trust and respect are not a right; they are privileges earned with a hard work and a caring attitude. This is true on the trail and in the classroom. Laura Daugereau will make it to Nome. When her dogs pass under the Burled Arch, she will once again drop to her knees, cradle each of their heads, and whisper words of appreciation.
“Dare to have a dream with a little courage to make it come true!”
Laura Daugereau
