“You can be the key to opening a doorway for an autistic young boy from the Village of Unalakleet.

We need your help to to get a service dog for Logan Erickson. Logan is a nine year boy diagnosed with Autism. Jeff and Donna, his mother and father, have five boys and Logan is the youngest member of the family. This fall 2009, Iditarod musher, DeeDee Jonrowe was visiting Unalakleet, his home, presenting for their church camp. She brought with her a dog named “Mr. Miyagi”. Logan watched him with interest. Logan until this day had not spoken one word.

After DeeDee left on the airplane Logan walked around the air station, where his mother works for Bearing Air and said, “Miyagi” several times. At first his mother did not recognize what he was saying but then she made the connection.

This was an emotional breakthrough. Logan first word was a name of a loving dog.”

Get involved!  Learn more at the website http://www.4pawsforlogan.com/index.html

]]> http://iditarodblogs.com/teachers/2010/01/31/four-paws-for-logan/feed/ 0 http://iditarodblogs.com/teachers/2009/12/18/pennies-for-polio-iditarod-style/ http://iditarodblogs.com/teachers/2009/12/18/pennies-for-polio-iditarod-style/#comments Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:27:53 +0000 Diane http://iditarodblogs.com/teachers/?p=1875 By Joy Davis, Educational Journalist, IN

* Editor’s Note:  Each year, thousands of teachers help students recognize the importance of service learning and volunteerism.  The race is an example of the importance of volunteerism.  Iditarod would not happen without the dedication of the the volunteers and race f ans.   Teachers around the globe strive to help students recognize the importance of service learning because people have the power to make the world a better place.  Congratulations to Mrs. Davis and her students, for doing their part!!!

Educational Journalist, Joy Davis, of Indiana has her class supporting Pennies for Polio.

The students at Joy’s school knew that Mrs. Davis had met 4 time Iditarod Champion Martin Buser on her recent trip to Alaska.  (Mrs. Davis had attended the Summer Camp for Teachers.  After returning from camp, she has continued volunteering with the race as an educational journalist.)

After reading his website, www.buserdog.com, the students were interested in doing a community service project for End Polio Now.

End Polio Now is a sponsor of Martin Buser.  The project collects pennies for the purchase of polio vaccine for people in 3rd world countries.  Educational literature from the Rotary Club states that 60 cents will purchase 1 dose of polio vaccine to protect a child.  We all have extra pennies.  Please support this project.

Editor’s Note:  Zuma and the K9 Journalists have issued a challenge to classrooms around the world:  The Community Challenge.   Learn about this challenge and get involved with making your own community a better place while students learn about volunteerism and become active participants in a service learning project.  Let us know about your project so that the project becomes an inspiration for others wishing to help those in need.  Click here for information on Zuma’s Community Challenge.

]]> http://iditarodblogs.com/teachers/2009/12/18/pennies-for-polio-iditarod-style/feed/ 0 http://iditarodblogs.com/teachers/2009/12/13/taking-iditarod-to-the-community/ http://iditarodblogs.com/teachers/2009/12/13/taking-iditarod-to-the-community/#comments Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:21:12 +0000 Diane http://iditarodblogs.com/teachers/?p=1781 Our small North Carolina town has a strong sense of community—folks and their families have lived here for generations, and the town considers its schools, although part of a county school system, “their schools”. At the holiday season, our local museum decorates for Christmas and invites the schools to provide decorations for its many trees and to tour the museum, learning about the history of Mt. Pleasant, NC.

For the second year, my sixth grade team decorated trees in the Iditarod theme. Students created miniature dog booties with race checkpoint tags, snowflake shaped paper stars, and musher ornaments with pictures and information about the 2010 racers.

We trekked the mile or so to the museum, our local law enforcement stopping traffic for us across the highway and at intersections. While it wasn’t Alaska cold, it was cold for our area of North Carolina, and we moved briskly along Main Street. Students toured the museum while a colleague and I decorated two trees.

Our community learned about Iditarod during the museum open house events held over the weekend. Students researched and created decorative information about the booties to hang on the tree. We used “Christmas gifts” from last year’s decorations to place under the tree, each package bearing a “gift tag” with Iditarod information.

Students glowed upon seeing “their trees”, and I know parents and family members heard about Iditarod over the evening meal.

By Educational Journalist, Martha Dobson, North Carolina

Enjoy the slide show.

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Enjoy the slide show from the 2009 Musher Banquet.

[[Show as slideshow]]

Enter our Table Top Decorating Contest!

• The Iditarod takes place because thousands of volunteers play major roles in every aspect of the race and the events that surround it.
• Your class can be a part of the race from your location by being chosen as part of the volunteer team that helps make the Iditarod Musher Banquet in Anchorage a festive occasion.
• Enter our contest. Selected classrooms will create and send the decorations that will be on the tables at the banquet.
• Win a prize for your classroom, but more importantly, provide your students with an opportunity to be involved in a service learning project.  You can’t always be somewhere ‘physically’, but what can do– is help to create an environment for this incredible event.  Be with us— through your student’s art and creative endeavors.

201o Table Top Contest Rules and Entry Form

A special thanks goes to our 2009 winning schools! Thanks for helping to make the banquet a special event.

• A.O. Marshall Elementary School, Il,  Jackie Juricic
• Level Cross Elementary School, NC, Lisa Oaks, Mary Luper
• McEver Elementary School, GA, Sarah Lux

Read an article about the 2009 Musher Banquet written by Target® 2009 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™ Cathy Walters

Enjoy a slide show of our past winners and banquet pictures.

Our goal is to promote communication to gain information that is motivating to our students. Most of our students are non-verbal so in order to use their communication devices they need to be motivated. The Iditarod has helped with this greatly.

I wrote the education department for the musher’s addresses because now I would like them to use their skills to communicate with the mushers.

We made 2 quilts this year. One for the family of Susan Butcher and the other to a greyhound rescue organization (local) as a fund raiser through being inspired by Zuma’s contribution to the website.

From Laurie in Kentucky

******

Most of my students are Mild Cognitive Impaired and/ or Autistic.  Writing is very difficult for them but they always look forward to this assignment in hopes of hearing back from their musher. I love to teach about the Iditarod and students that I had thirteen years ago can still tell me the name of the musher that they followed and some even tell me that they follow the race every year.  It is very exciting for me and for my students, past and present.

Tamara in Michigan

I attended the Boot Camp for Teachers in 2008.  One of the best things I have ever experienced!  So good that I am returning this year in hopes of learning more and being able to be a volunteer for the 2010 Iditarod.

One of the projects we (my school) were able to take part in was the Rookie Musher Project. We adopted Kurt Reich to follow and do whatever we could to help him before, during, and after the race.  Kurt was running the race to raise money for charity, his goal was to raise 500,000.  He is from Colorado and we live in AR.  I wanted our school to help him reach his goal, but I felt the money needed to stay in our own state.  Together we were able to work this out.

Arkansas has the one of the best Children’s Hospital’s in the U.S.  They turn away no one!  We also have the only burn unit for adults and children in the whole state.  Between ACH and Kurt we were able to raise $3000.00 for ACH.  Had I not gotten involved with the Iditarod Boot Camp none of this would have taken place.  See what can happen with one tiny interest begins to blossom, bloom, and grow like wild fire!  I have always taught about the Iditarod in my math classes, but never like I did this year!  I think everyone in our whole state knows about it now!!

Once you get involved there is no end to what you can cause to happen, ways you can help, values you can instill in your students, there are so many lessons involved with real life and the Iditarod.  All knowledge and education does not have to come from age old textbooks.  Just ask our school kids………

I encourage anyone who has the slightest interest in the Iditarod, becoming a better teacher, or just wants to gain a new respect for life and what actually goes on,  to get involved in the Iditarod.  I had all kinds of doubt about going to the Boot Camp, can I do this, am I too old, I don’t know???  Diane Johnson is awesome, I never looked back after talking with her and making my plans.  Thanks, Diane!!  Don’t wait, if you are an educator you need to attend and bring your classroom back to the real world of what it takes to overcome obstacles and be a success in life.   Strong, AR population 678ish………poverty stricken, 100% free lunch, plants shutting down everyday………..raised 3000.00 to benefit Arkansas Children’s Hospital and our Rookie Musher, Kurt Reich!   Way to Go!!!!!!!!!

Paula Medlin 3/4 Math Gardner Strong Elementary Strong, AR

Eighteen fourth graders from Central Elementary in Sidney, Nebraska jumped on the sled with Bruce Linton to encourage all students to follow his motto, “Live Healthy, Be Positive, & Dream Big!”  Bruce has completed two consecutive Iditarods in 2007 and 2008.  Being an insulin dependent diabetic has not hindered his dream of running sled dogs and competing in the Last Great Race.  These 18 students and their teacher, Mrs. Roach developed a service learning project that promotes positive nutrition and exercise choices.   With the help of the School Booster Club, parents, and local businesses, they sponsored healthy snack fundraisers at Central & West Elementary in Sidney.

During the months of November, December, and January the students sold healthy snacks consisting of apples, oranges, Gogurt, Shredded Wheat Cereal, low-fat pumpkin muffins, and bottled water.  Each student received a healthy living card which contained Bruce’s motto and tips for healthy living.   Over 400 students, in grades 4-6, were served and $500 was raised to help Bruce as he strives to set a healthy example for all people to follow.

You might be asking yourself, how did this healthy living adventure begin?  Mrs. Roach loves teaching Iditarod themed lessons and tries to develop learning opportunities that involve real people and real situations.  This past summer, she embarked on a technology learning adventure by taking a class titled, Developing a Moodle, through Educational Service Unit 13.  A Moodle is a frame work for an online class that a teacher creates.  Mrs. Roach’s Moodle is titled, Iditarod Habits of Mind. For the past three years, Mrs. Roach has taught The 16 Habits of Mind and has incorporated Iditarod Insider Clips that feature mushers and dogs of the Last Great Race in her lesson plans.  Mrs. Roach was working the lesson for the habit, “Taking Responsible Risks” when the Discovery Channel’s program, Iditarod: Toughest Race on Earth was being aired.  Bruce Linton was one of the featured mushers on the program.   Mrs. Roach was intrigued by his tenacity and thought, “Wow! Bruce Linton is really taking a risk by running the Iditarod.  What an incredible accomplishment for him.”  Because Mrs. Roach’s husband is an insulin dependent diabetic, she knew exactly how dangerous running the Iditarod could be for Bruce.  Mrs. Roach emailed Bruce and he was more than happy to explain how he made the risk safe and successful for Team Linton.  Bruce had a plan and his plan was successful!  As a follow up, Bruce also helped out on the “Persistence” lesson.  I bet you didn’t know that as an eighth grader Bruce rode over 90 miles in one day.  Now that is being persistent!  You can read about these personal experiences by clicking on the document below.

Bruce’s willingness to help out with the Moodle class led to lessons on diabetes. Earlier in the school year, Mrs. Roach team taught a unit on nutrition and fitness with Mr. Dillehay, the physical education teacher at Central Elementary.  During science class the students learned about body systems and used that information to help them understand what systems are affected by diabetes.  The students also read information from the National Institutes of Health and watched a video on diabetes.  Mrs. Roach’s husband Gary, a Type 1 diabetic, uses an insulin pump similar to Bruce’s.  He demonstrated how to check blood sugar and how he changes his insulin pump.  The students created posters that hang in the school to encourage others to eat healthy and be active as a way of preventing Type 2 diabetes.   What started out as a lesson on Taking Responsible Risks and Persistence turned into a multifaceted learning adventure and another great musher/student connection thanks to Bruce Linton.

Through this service learning project, the students have not only gained a better understanding of healthy living and diabetes, they have learned that you need to set goals, be persistent, and dream big. As Bruce says “You are only limited by your dreams, and your dreams should be unlimited!”

Be Healthy, Be Positive, Dream Big!!!!

If you would like more information on Mrs. Roach’s Moodle class please contact her at judi.roach@sidneyraiders.org

Bruce Linton Answers Mrs. Roach’s Questions on

Taking Responsible Risks

Question #1
Bruce, what an accomplishment for you to finish the race for two consecutive years.  How do you keep your insulin from freezing?  Does your pump go haywire in the cold? I know how batteries in a digital camera did not last very long in the Alaskan cold, and am wondering how you managed all of that.

Answer #1
I keep my insulin next to my body all the time.  The pump is next to my skin as well.  My body temp keeps it warm enough – even when I experienced temps of 35 below zero.  Batteries are fine as long as the pump is relatively warm.

Question #2
I would love to use you as an example for my students to understand how you made this risk safe for yourself.  Could you explain your preparations and steps that you took to ensure that you would make it through the race? The kids understand that taking risks is part of life. In order to grow as people, we all take risks. There are ways that we make risks doable with good thinking and planning.

Answer #2
There is a fair amount of planning involved.  As I mentioned above, my meter is next to my body which provides enough warmth.  I cover the plastic tube which is what the insulin travels through to enter my body with a felt covering to protect it from the cold.  The tube is obviously underneath my clothing as well.  I have five sets of everything (insulin, pump supplies, meters, etc.) stockpiled on the trail at five different checkpoint locations in case I ever need any supplies.  The Iditarod Air Force flew some insulin to me in 2007 when I needed some from one of those stored locations and it worked really well.

Bruce Linton on Being Persistent

When is the first time you remembering using persistence?

I was always a very hard worker and therefore persistent as a child.  I don’t really remember a particular first time as a child, but I was persistent in just about everything that I did.  I remember one time when I was in about 8th grade I did a bike ride for charity.  It was an all day ride and you rode as many miles as you wanted too around an 11 mile loop and you raised a certain amount of money per mile depending on how much people sponsored you per mile beforehand.  Anyway, I remember winning a new bike for raising more money then everyone else on the bike ride.  There were hundreds of participants and most were adults.  The reason I raised the most money was
because I was very persistent and ended up riding all day long.  I never stopped until the last minute (I think it was 5 pm) and I ended up biking an astonishing 91 miles that day.  Adults could not believe that I could bike that far as a kid and that I was that persistent.

Can you tell us about a time as a musher that you really had to be persistent?

That is an easy question to answer.  In my first Iditarod, I got stuck in a blizzard at Rainy Pass.  It was 22 degrees below zero and winds blew up to 80 mph on the top of the pass.  I ended up staying at that checkpoint for 32 hours and finally made it over the pass in 50 mph winds.  14 mushers dropped out of the race at that checkpoint, but I did not. I continued to Nome and finished the race because I never gave up and I was persistent!

After reading Woodsong where Paulsen describes his adventures training for
and running the 1983 Iditarod, and studying more about the race on
Iditarod.com, O’Rourke’s seventh graders wanted to help out. The initial
idea came from O’Rourke seventh grader Wyatt Sawyer who asked his teacher
if the class could sponsor a musher. Other students were immediately
interested, and since Gary Paulsen was on the list of registered mushers
for 2009, they wanted to support him in any way possible.

Diane Johnson, education coordinator of the Iditarod, told O’Rourke that
Paulsen would rather that any donations to support him be sent to schools
along the Iditarod trail in the form of books. O’Rourke students loved
this idea, especially knowing that they would be able to share their own
wonderful Woodsong experience with other students, and support Paulsen at
the same time. They are thrilled to be making a big difference in a
small way.

More to come….

To get involved with a service learning project such as Books to the Trail, (PDF Document) click here!

After learning about dogs, dog care and the Iditarod, Friends’ School Kindergarten students decided to start a dog food and supply drive for the Boulder Humane Society. The idea came from two students, Mia and Chesca. Both girls are very interested in the Humane Society and plan on attending one of the summer camps for students.

All the students thought this would be a good way to demonstrate their love of dogs by providing much needed supplies for the shelter. Many students have adopted their own pets from the Humane Society.

After doing some research about the Humane Society’s “wish list”, the students created a collection sled. The sled was decorated with dog pictures and will serve as a container for all the donations.

In addition to collecting the supplies, the students are using their math and science skills to determine what is in the dog food, what nutrients it provides for dogs, the difference between various dog foods and how many dogs it will feed.

In April the class will take a field trip to the Boulder Humane Society to deliver the supplies and learn more about the services the Humane Society provides for dogs and other lost or stray animals in Boulder.

As you have read on our website, we offer a service learning project: Books to the Trail to help bring brand new books to students in Alaska. If you haven’t signed up for this project and you are interested, make sure you contact me THIS WEEK.  

We’d like to offer a ‘new twist’ to this project and seek you support and volunteer efforts. The Anchorage Public Library is involved in the BIG READ. The book they have chosen for their read is To Kill a Mocking Bird. We are looking for new copies of this book to be included in reading packages to go to schools in Alaska. If you would like to donate a copy or several copies of this book, please contact me as soon as possible.

In addition, a list of companion books is included in this article. We are seeking these books to be donated to schools along the Iditarod Trail. Your interest in helping us meeting the goals of this project is greatly appreciated. Please contact me today and volunteer your assistance in getting copies of these books to Alaska. If you are a classroom librarian who’d like to take a leadership role in helping this project be a reality, please contact me as well. djohnson@iditarod.com

Companion Books:

Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor (grades 6+)

Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco (grades K-3)

In Search of Mockingbird by Loretta Ellsworth (grades 6-10)

When I Crossed No-Bob by Margaret McMullan (grades 5-8)

Watsons go to Birmingham-1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis (grades 4-8)

Virgie goes to school with us boys by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard (grades K-3)

Freedom School, Yes! by Amy Littlesugar (grades K-4)Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt (grades 6-9)

Dave at Night by Gail Carson Levine (grades 5-9)

The Well by Mildred D. Taylor (grades 4-6)

Non-Fiction

Let it Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters by Andrea Davis Pinkney (grades 4-8)

Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman (grades 4-8)

Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges (grades 4-7)

Fight On! Mary Church Terrell’s Battle for Integration by Dennis Brindell Fradin (grades 5-9)

Rosa by Nikki Giovanni (grades 3-5)

The Forbidden Schoolhouse: The True and Dramatic Story of Prudence Crandall and Her Students by Suzanne Jurmain (grades 5-9)

Nobody Gonna Turn Me “Round by Doreen Rappaport (grades 4-8)

Don’t miss the opportunity to join us for this project. Watch for future BIG READ projects, too.