by Sally Simon, Finalist for Target® Iditarod 2011 Teacher on the Trail™, New York
Bernard Harris was a boy with a dream of becoming an astronaut. Now he’s a man of accomplishment giving back to others so that their dreams can come true too.
I was lucky enough to talk to this incredible man: the first African American to walk in space, a man who created a national motivational program (The Dream Tour) that encourages middle school students to achieve their potential, and a man who runs over twenty summer camps to expose students to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) with the hope that they’ll study math and science in college.
You might be wondering what this has to do with the Iditarod. So, let me explain. Mobil Exxon is a sponsor of the Last Great Race, and particularly the education department. They are committed to supporting efforts to improve math and science education in the U.S. and they think teaching the Iditarod is one way of doing just that. (http://www.exxonmobil.com/Corporate/community_math.aspx) They also support the Bernard Harris Foundation (http://www.theharrisfoundation.org/), and have selected him to be their Idita-Rider for the ceremonial start. He spoke to the teachers at the Educator’s Conference earlier in the week to inform us of his foundation and the programs he offers.
When I interviewed Bernard, he spoke passionately about how minority kids and girls get messages from the media and their peers that “they can’t do certain things.” It stifles their dreams. His mission is to counteract those messages and give them back their dreams–at least as far as math and science are concerned.
This is a message near and dear to his heart. Coming from a broken home was tough on him as a kid. His mother, who was a teacher, encouraged him to challenge himself and instilled in him the belief that he could do anything. So, he decided to reach for his dream. He also credited many people that “paved the way for him” as well as education.
On his journey to reach his goals, he said he had a team of people behind him including family, mentors, and teachers. He said, “I am not a loner. I didn’t get where I am by myself.” He said it takes a team of like-minded individuals. He learned that early on from the NASA program. Being an astronaut is a total team effort. Starting a foundation to inspire kids to learn math and science wasn’t any different. He started his science camps fifteen years ago with only one camp and then had some help with a few sponsors including NASA, and for the past five years, Exxon Mobil.
Listening to Bernard made me realize that teamwork is not only an important aspect of the Iditarod, and education, but the business world as well. Many jobs require collaboration and teamwork, including teaching.
As a teacher I need to guide my students to set goals and encourage them to reach for their dreams. To teach them how to work with others to accomplish a goal. To show them examples of teamwork in action. To show them people like Bernard Harris who have excelled in math and science and Lance Mackey who have excelled at mushing. To make them believe that dreams do come true.
If you would like to see Bernard Harris speaking to the kids at his summer camp, here are three links:
1) Bernard talks to kids (Part I)
