When visiting Happy Trails Kennel most people get excited about meeting Martin Buser. He is, after all, an Iditarod icon.

They want to hear him talk about his four Iditarod wins, his four Humanitarian Awards, and his record breaking run to Nome in 2002. Martin doesn’t disappoint.

I could listen to Martin talk about his experiences on the trail all day long, but this time around I decided to explore something new. I sought out Sean Williams and Magnus Kaltenborn, both of whom have been his dog handlers for the last two years. I wanted to know what it’s like to live, eat, sleep, and work for a revered Iditarod musher. They didn’t disappoint either.

Sean Williams is a tall, 26 year old native Texan. Then how did he make his way to Alaska? According to Happy Trails Kennel website, it was because of imagination and a long flight. After talking to him, I’d say it was because of a sense of adventure and his vow to never work in an office. Sean first worked for Matt Hayashida, a former Buser handler, conducting dog tours on a glacier during the summer. Then he left Alaska and lived in Australia for a year. Something was missing. He wanted to return to the great wilderness of the north. He sent Martin a letter of interest about working as a handler, and the rest is history. Sean said, “You get one good chance to leave sled dogs,” so I’d say he’s hooked.

So what might a routine day be like for a dog handler? Sean says he wakes up around 7 a.m. and slips “without thinking” into his “bunny boots, Carharts, and jacket.” He goes outside to feed and water the dogs, as well as “scoop the yard.” Then comes breakfast, checking his email, and maybe stretching. The rest of the day, he says, depends on many things including the weather. As a team, Martin, Sean and Magnus (the other handler) talk about the day using the forecast and maps. By late morning or early afternoon they’re probably hooking up the team for a run. Afterwards, they snack the dogs and let them run around to play. A final feeding, dinner, a TV break, and another “scooping” of the yard rounds out the day. Come December or January, race preparations such as vacuum packing, cutting meat, and preparing food drop bags become added responsibilities.

Sean says being a dog handler can be a great stepping stone towards being an Iditarod-bound musher, if the musher you work for knows what s/he is doing. This year, both Sean and Magnus ran the Copper Basin and Yukon Quest 300 and did well. What should one consider before packing his bags and heading to Alaska to take on this job? His answer. Three things: love of challenging yourself, love of dogs instead of people, and being able to relate to animal instinct. Sean revealed that one of his favorite things to do is this: wait until 3-5 minutes after evening feeding, when the dog yard gets quiet, then howl. Almost immediately 80 dogs join in and “you know you’ve made the right decision.”

Magnus Kalternborn is a twenty year old from Norway and has a different story to tell. He started to get interested in mushing around the time Robert Sorlie of Norway won the Iditarod. Shortly afterward, Magnus read Sorlie’s book and started to run sprint races. When he graduated high school, Magnus had a decision to make between college, job or learning about mushing. He picked Alaska. His parents gave him their blessing, and he sent a letter to which Martin replied. His typical day is the same as Sean’s with one exception: he eats more.

Magnus seemed quite at home at Happy Trails Kennel, even as he walked around “scooping” the yard. And, he’s accomplished his goal of learning about mushing. This year, he’s completed his qualifying races. So, Magnus hopes to run a team of dogs as a rookie for the 2011 race. I hope your dream comes true, Magnus. I’ll be looking for you next year!

NOTE: On the Happy Trails Kennel website (http://www.buserdog.com/), Sean and Magnus are listed as “athletes,” which they are; however, what they do is generally called dog handling by most kennels.

For more information about dog handling view this video of Lisa Frederic talking about her experiences as a handler while working for Jeff King.

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Lesson Ideas about Dog Handlers

• Research veteran mushers who were first dog handlers.  Who did they work for and how long?  Do they have any stories to tell?
• Pretend you’re interested in dog handling.  Using what you know about the job, write a letter to a musher asking for a job.
• Pretend you’re a musher looking for a dog handler. Create a want ad or advertisement
• Pretend you’re a dog handler.  Write a journal entry about a routine day.  Then write another one about preparing for the start of the Iditarod.  How do you think these two days differ?
• Design an efficient pooper scooper system.

Meet Jacinda Yonker.  She’ll be attending this year’s teacher conference, the start, and the restart of the race.

Join us via Jacinda’s Glogster’.

Attend the Iditarod Start and Restart:  March 6 – 7.  If you are going to Alaska for the start of the race, don’t miss these events.

View a student made commercial for the Teacher’s Conference.   Contributed by Sally Simon and students.

Download the 2010 Winter Registration Form. (Register today!)

The 2010 Winter Conference for Educators will be held in Anchorage March 2 – 5.  Speakers, field trips, and sessions are designed to empower the educator with the teaching tools, renewed enthusiasm, and the general information necessary to impact classroom curriculum and guide students to academic success.  (Teachers:  If you can not attend the full conference, join us on the days you can attend according to our special day rate, email for information or call 605.228 6071)

Join us!  Register today!

University Credit will be available.

Quick look at our Conference!

• March 1, Monday:  7:00 PM:  Meet and Greet (details on full schedule)
• March 2, Tuesday:  8 – 4:00 PM: Sessions include educational presentations by the 2011 Finalists for Target® Iditarod Teacher on the Trail and other speakers.
• March 3, Wednesday:  7:30 AM – 5:00 PM:  Field trip to Iditarod Headquarters and Martin Buser’s Kennel.  (Tickets are also available to the public for this field trip, email for information, $125 per person)
• March 4, Thursday:  8:00 Am – 4:00 PM:  Sessions and Speakers, Musher Banquet
• March 5:  Friday:  7:45 AM – 4:00 PM:  Iditarod Speakers and Book Sale/Author Signing (Tickets to the speakers are also available to the public for this portion of the conference, $25 per person, per speaker, email for tickets or additional information or call 605 228 6071.  See speaker’s list below.  The Book Sale and Author Signing is free and open to the public.  Author’s books will be for sale.  We do not know which authors will be attending this event at this time.)
  

SPEAKER LIST: Friday, March 5

• 9:00:    Rod Perry, Never-told Tales of the Greatest Iditarod Adventure of All Time, the Trailbreaking First Run….Spun by Pioneer Racer and Author Rod Perry.
• 10:15:  Iditarod Champion, Jeff King, “The Winningest Musher in the World” and Author of Cold Hands, Warm Heart, Meet Jeff and enjoy his perspective on Iditarod and dog mushing.
• 1:00:    Iditarod Musher Trent Herbst and Students: Trent is a teacher in Idaho.  His students play an instrumental role helping him prepare for the race by sewing, cooking, and calculating details to help Trent race from Anchorage to Nome.  Meet Trent and his students.  Discover this unique teaching and learning adventure.
• 2:15:     Dr. Nelson, Iditarod Chief Veterinarian:  Dr. Nelson’s presentation will provide images from the Iditarod Trail and information about the canine athletes of this race.

Full Conference Schedule (to be added today, check back later!)

(This section of the site is under construction and will be updated again later today!)

Teachers Idit-ersize!

ExxonMobil is the sponsor for the Iditarod Education Department.

Can’t join us in March?  Join us in Alaska June 20 – 28 for the Iditarod Summer Camp for Teachers!  Learn more!

Summer Camp information and Registration Form.

University Credit is available at our Winter Conference and our Summer Camp.

You don’t have to be a teacher to join us.  Race fans and volunteers are welcome to join us at our conferences and events.

Interested in bringing an Iditarod Teacher’s workshop to your area?  Contact us!

The 2010 Winter Conference will be held in Anchorage March 2 – 5. Participants will attend sessions that will motivate them professionally and provide them with immediate lesson ideas for the race.  An advantage to attending this workshop is that one can also see the start and the restart of the race.  (March 6 and 7) Anyone— teacher or race fan– attending the start of the race should attend teacher conference events.  For more information, email. Watch the website for the conference agenda and speaker list to be published soon.  Do not miss these events.

If you are looking for a summer adventure, join us June 20 – 28th for the experience of a life time!  Stay at a musher’s kennel.  Learn about Iditarod, sled dogs, mushing, and Alaska.  Build an engaging curriculum for your students.  Learn more about our conferences.

Why Attend a Conference?

The Iditarod Education Department

• Strives to assist educators in connecting the Iditarod to content and cultural standards required by each state and according to NCLB.
• Recognizes that today’s teacher must facilitate learning and empower students to achieve.  What a teacher teaches must be aligned to the curriculum one teaches.
• Dedicates energy to helping teachers be better teachers

We are dedicated to empowering educators to use best practices of education using research based instructional methods, develop quality standards driven lessons, create units of study that engaging students in the learning process, encourage them to practice basic skills, and to encourage the use of technology as a teaching tool and a tool for students to use as they complete lessons and projects.

• Iditarod is a tool of instruction that leads students to academic success.
• University credit is offered through the University of Alaska, Anchorage.
• Although these conferences are intended for teachers, race fans are welcome to attend as well.

Still wondering Why You Should Attend?  Here’s what one of our ‘campers’ had to say about our summer camp.

Joy Davis, Educational Journalist

When I first read the information about summer camp I thought that it would be something fun to do ‘sometime.’ Little did I know that it would be this past summer. My husband encouraged me to sign up.

I am not a camper so I was hesitant. I had no idea of what to pack. Did I even have the right clothes? I made lists and more lists. Every time that I talked myself into going I would come up with reasons to stay home. The dogs needed me. It would be awfully expensive to fly to Alaska. And how was I going to get around? What was I going to do in my free time? Could we really afford this?

We concluded that I could not afford not to go. I needed to find my smile again. Let me tell you that this was the best investment that I had made in myself in a long time. I am finishing a master degree while working long hours as a mild interventions teacher at the high school level. I needed to find ‘me.’

I could talk for days about my experiences. But I will just list the highlights in no special order.

New friends

I met other teachers from across the United States. We shared a common experience and began lasting friendships.

An earthquake

On the second day at the Dream a Dream Dog Farm we had an earthquake. It registered 5.7. It cracked the wall above the window in the sleeping area.

The mushers

Attending the musher’s picnic was a memorable event. Up close and personal with the celebrities (in human form) of this sport. Everyone was so friendly. My students can’t believe that I know these people.

The dogs

Being pulled in an ATV by a team of 16 dogs is like nothing else you will experience!!

Challenging myself

I never dreamed that I would walk across a pole 40 feet in the air. Why would I even want to do this? I am glad that I made myself do it. I know that I can accomplish more than I believe I can. I am tougher in Alaska!

If you want to learn more about the Iditarod and/or yourself, then head north to Alaska for the teacher’s summer camp. You will have an experience that will be un’fur’ gettable.

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Enjoy this slide show from summer camp!

[[Show as slideshow]]

Why attend Summer Camp? Click ‘play’.  To return to this website, use the back arrow key!  Music by Hobo Jim and used with his permission.

The workshop experience will be held June 21 – 29 in Wasilla, Alaska. The first three days of the conference will be held at the Dream a Dream Dog Farm in Willow, Alaska. Conference where participants will be staying at the kennel over night the first 3 days of the camp experience, providing the opportunity to learn firsthand about living in Alaska and training sled dogs. 1990 Yukon Quest Champion and Iditarod Musher, Vern Halter’s Iditarod 101 provides summer camp participants with an in depth look at what it takes to race in Iditarod.

At the kennel, campers will learn all about taking care of the amazing athletes. Special sessions at the camp will assist teachers in connecting the theme of Iditarod and Alaska to their cultural and content standards. Develop skills in technology, lesson design, and create lessons and activities in your content area. Meet mushers, authors, dogs, Iditarod staff, Target® 2010 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™, Herb Brambley, and past Teacher on the Trail™ alumni, and race volunteers. This unforgettable experience in Alaska will empower you as an educator, motivating you to take the steps on the ‘trail’ with us so that the curriculum you teach enhances the education of your students.

View the camp schedule by Clicking here (2009summercamp09.pdf)

Registration form, click here! (summerregistration09.pdf)

Learn more about our camp by visiting the 2008 Camp Blog.  Click here!

University credit is available.  2 Graduate Hours, $89 per class.

Do you have questions about the teacher’s conference? Are you interested in attending? Contact us today! Click here!

Click on images for a larger picture of some of the camp experiences:

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Fieldtrip: Iditarod Headquarters, lunch, and Martin Buser’s Kennel

7:30 Meet in the Millennium Hotel Lobby. Board the Bus for the Fieldtrip.

8:00: Bus leaves

Iditarod Headquarters: Vet Check!

• Observe the vets and mushers at work. Mushers will be arriving HQ

throughout the morning. The veterinarian staff will be performing the final

examinations of the dogs.

• Visit Iditarod Trail Committee Headquarters Museum and Gift Shop

Lunch

Kennel Tour: — Iditarod Four-Time Champion Martin Buser, Big Lake, Alaska.

* Tour Martin’s kennel and facility. Discover what it takes to raise, train, and run

Iditarod. Meet his canine athletes. Martin will share highlights and stories from the

trail, providing valuable information as he gives a personal, behind the scenes glimpse

of living in Alaska and running dogs.

http://www.buserdog.com

The exact return time will be determined by weather and other factors. Estimated time of arrival back at the Millennium is between 4:00 – 5:00 PM.

Fee: $125.00 per person. Limited seating. Book in January/February.

Call: 605 228 6071

Friday, March 6, 2009 Iditarod Speaker Events and Book Fair and Author Signing

$25.00 per ticket, per speaker.

Call 605 228 6071 to pay by credit card in advance of event or purchase tickets March 3 – 6 at the Millennium. Watch this section of the website for information should we be close to sell out on the speaker events!

9:00 AM: Special Iditarod Speaker:: To be announced

10:15- 11:15: Lisa Frederic, Author and Iditarod Musher

http://www.lisafrederic.com

Learn about Lisa’s journey along the Iditarod Trail and what it takes to train for Iditarod.

11:30 – 1:00: Book Sale and Author Signing: 3rd Floor Millennium

*Books by famous ‘Alaskan/Iditarod’ authors will be for sale. Many authors will be present to autograph the books. (Book Fair 11:30 – 1:00) Join us! FREE event. Books will be available for purchase. Authors will sign the books!

1:00 PM Aliy Zirkle: Yukon Quest Champion and Iditarod Musher

Learn about Aliy at her website: www.aliyzirkle.com Aliy says, “I consider the Iditarod not only a competition of the highest caliber, but also a celebration of true Arctic transportation. “I appreciate the trail crossing the magnificent state of Alaska and can think of no better mode of transportation I’d prefer than a dog team.”

2:30 – 3:30 PM: Dr. Stuart Nelson, Jr., DVM, Iditarod’s Chief Veterinarian. An informational slide show presentation featuring a glimpse of the Iditarod Trail and first hand experiences before, during, and after the race, provide the viewer with the discovery of the contributing factors that lead to the top notch, healthy canine athletes that run Iditarod. Learn about the race. Discover valuable information about what it takes to raise, feed, and care for the true athletes of the race, the dogs.

*** Teacher’s workshop: March 3 – 6, 2009, Anchorage, Alaska.

For additional information, click here!

Winter Conference – March 2 – 6, 2009

Head north in February to discover ways to impact instructional practices using Iditarod as a theme. Conference sessions and event speakers will inspire you as an educator and challenge you professionally and personally. Meet the Teacher on the Trail and finalists for next year’s teacher.

Discover standards-driven curriculum connections for classroom instruction and strategies that help students be academically successful. A bonus of attending this four-day conference is the opportunity to attend the Musher Drawing Banquet, the start, and the restart of the race. University credit is available at this conference.

For the Conference Schedule (PDF) Click here!

Registration Form, (PDF) Click here!

Events open to public, Fieldtrip – March 4 and Event Speakers March 6 (PDF) Click Here: Tickets for Speakers and Fieldtrip

Summer Conference – June 21 to 29, 2009: Summer Camp for Teachers!

Pack your bags for camp – Idita-Summer Camp for Educators! Join us for a week’s worth of Iditarod and Alaska summer camp adventures. Spend three nights sleeping at an Iditarod musher’s kennel. Listen to the dogs howl in the early morning hours as you begin your day’s activities which have been designed to provide opportunities to learn, first hand, about raising and training sled dogs as well as running Iditarod.

Field trips, authors, Iditarod speakers and mushers will provide “teacher-campers” with knowledge to build engaging classroom curriculum. Teachers will depart after a week-long conference with the ability to harness a dog and keep a classroom engaged with a “sled bag full” of important information and renewed sense of teaching enthusiasm! University credit is available.

SUMMER CAMP REGISTRATION MATERIALS WILL BE UPLOADED SOON. CHECK BACK for information!

Learn about the 2008 Summer Camp! Click here!

Registration Form (PDF) Click here!

2009 Camp Schedule (PDF) Click Herer! (2009summercamp09.pdf)

Why Attend a Conference?

The Iditarod Education Department strives to assist educators in connecting the Iditarod to content and cultural standards required by each state and according to NCLB.

We are dedicated to empowering educators to use best practices of education using research based instructional methods, develop quality standards driven lessons, create units of study that engaging students in the learning process, encourage them to practice basic skills, and to encourage the use of technology as a teaching tool and a tool for students to use as they complete lessons and projects.

Iditarod is a tool of instruction that leads students to academic success. University credit offered through the University of Alaska, Anchorage. Although these conferences are intended for teachers, race fans are welcome to attend as well.

Contact Information

Iditarod Education Department
1412 South Melgaard Road
Aberdeen, South Dakota 57401

Diane Johnson, Director

Click to Email
(605) 228-6071

November is an exciting month for classrooms around the world as they as they begin to check www.iditarod.com to see which mushers have signed up to run the 2008 Iditarod. To read the bios about the mushers who have signed up, click on the menu tab, “2009 Iditarod” and then click, “Musher Listing“.Iditarod begins on the first Saturday in March each year and ends when the last musher arrives in Nome. The race is run on one of two trails. In the even numbered years, such as 2010, it follows a northern route. On the odd years, such as in 2009, the race follows a southern route. LEARN MORE about the trail.

Many educators are planning their curriculum units, aligning their lessons to the state content and cultural standards, and starting to introduce the race as a topic to capture the interest of the students. To learn about educational connections, the FOR TEACHERS section of the website provides many ideas. Additional helpful hints include:

• Discover curriculum connections at the Teacher on the Trail^TM section of the website. Last summer, Iarget 2009 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail^TM Cathy Walters, began placing lesson ideas on the website. All teachers, regardless of their grade level or teaching area will find ideas that can be used in the classroom. Each month, Cathy will place more ideas on website. During the race, Cathy will be flying from checkpoint to checkpoint with the Iditarod Air Force and reporting her observations and experiences, as well as providing lesson connections for students. Don’t miss Cathy’s lessons and journal!
• Looking for a Service Learning project? “Books to the Trail” is a project that brings new books to students in Alaska. For more information, read about this and other projects.
• Are you looking for a musher tracking form for students to use during the race? Are you looking for ideas on writing to mushers? For more information, CLICK HERE!
• Follow the journey of the Iditarod Traveling Quilt. CLICK HERE!
• Consult all areas of the For Teachers section of the website to discover information about our teaching projects including our Iditarod Ready! Storm Ready! curriculum materials. CLICK HERE!
• Contact us if you have questions or comments: click here
• Are you an Iditarod Insider subscriber? Iditarod Insider is an engaging teaching tool that brings not only the sights of the race to the classroom — but the sounds of the race. Each day during the race, video segments are placed on Iditarod Insider, providing the subscriber with race video reports from the checkpoints. A library of past race and historical video segments provide a great deal of information about the race. Iditarod Insider contains an educational materials section that hosts curriculum connections for pre K- high school students in all curriculum areas. The fly by map is a favorite tool of students. No doubt about it, Iditarod Insider is a tool that enhances the learning and is a lot of fun. To learn more about Iditarod Insider, CLICK HERE!

Are you new to using Iditarod as a classroom teaching tool?
A mere glance at the variety of lesson ideas and projects can be overwhelming to the educator. Where does one start? How does one get connected to the race? Follow these easy steps:

1. Choose specific standards or a curriculum area as your focal point. Search through our curriculum materials for ideas that match your focus area and are relevant to what your students need to learn.

2. Discover ideas from our Teacher on the Trail^TM and follow her during the race. Her journal will provide you with insight into the race.

3. Make a literature and writing connection by choosing Iditarod related books to read to the students or for the students to read on their own. Need information? CLICK HERE!

4. Plan on following mushers during the race. “Adopt” 3 or 4 mushers to follow as a class or have each student adopt their own favorite musher to follow. Check the website many times a day during the race and record the musher’s progress on a map. Have students write about the musher and the race.

5. Contact the Iditarod Education Department and let us know you are using the race with students. We’d enjoy hearing about your lessons. If you have questions, contact us. We are happy to assist you any way we can!

6. After the race, reflect on what worked with your students and the academic progress of your students. Begin planning lessons for the next year.

7. Consider joining us at an Iditarod Teacher’s Conference. Iditarod holds two conferences in Alaska each year, one in June and one in February. Both conferences are excellent opportunities for educators to earn university credit while learning first hand about the Iditarod.

Iditarod is a tried and true teaching tool that is used by teachers in preschool through university level. Teachers from Alaska and around the world have discovered that Iditarod ‘hooks’ students into a learning adventure that empowers students to be academically successful while being engaged in adventure learning projects. Iditarod is an adventure learning opportunity, allowing students to practice basic curriculum while learning about a real event in real time via technology, and provides many opportunities for students to transition the learning to their own level or community. Iditarod is more than a race. Iditarod is an educational and motivational tool that results in academic success.

Don’t miss the opportunity to join us for the adventure!

Camp isn’t just for kids! It is for teachers, too!

Each summer, thousands of youngsters head off to summer camp. The camp experience isn’t just for kids, though, not when it comes to helping ‘Iditarod’ bound teachers connect the race with their curriculum.

On June 22, educators met at Iditarod Trail Headquarters in Wasilla to begin their week long experience at Iditarod’s Summer Camp for Teachers. Teacher campers, representing both middle school/high school and elementary school, journeyed Susan Whiton and Vern Halter’s Dream a Dream Dog Farm where the next three days of sessions were held. Susan, a veterinarian shared information about dog care and Vern presented several sessions highlighting information about dog mushing and Iditarod.

Staying overnight at the kennel allowed campers the opportunity to immerse themselves in the experience to gain a richer understanding of what it is like to raise sled dogs. Each day began with a walk in the woods with puppies. Campers then learned firsthand how to put on harnesses, hook a team to the gangline, put booties on a dog’s feet, and what it felt like to ride the ’summer sled’, a wheeled cart powered by energetic huskies.

Sessions were held to help teachers enrich their curriculum. Target® 2009 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail, Cathy Walters, and Target ®2008 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail, Jane Blaile were featured speakers and experts in lesson design. 2006 Teacher on the Trail, Terrie Hanke, assisted in the facilitation of the conference and shared her expertise in the classroom and experiences from the trail. 2000 Teacher on the Trail, Diane Johnson, and Alaskan educators Shannon Keene and Sara Lamont, led sessions and assisted the campers throughout the week.

Special fieldtrips and speakers helped campers gain a rich knowledge base. Speakers included: Author and musher, Gary Paulsen, Iditarod mushers, Dee Dee Jonrowe and Sue Allen, Sonny Chambers, a race volunteer, the K-9 Fairies, Arctic explorer and dog musher, Pam Flowers, and Iditarod Chief Veterinarian, Dr. Stuart Nelson, Jr.

The summer camp concluded at the June 28 Volunteer Picnic and 2009 Iditarod Sign Up, giving the campers the opportunity to meet race volunteers, fans, Iditarod staff, and of course, mushers!

Start planning and join us at next summer’s camp to be held June 20 – 28, 2009. To read more about the camp experiences, visit the following sites:
Zuma’s Paw Prints: Click here and scroll to find articles about the picnic and the camp experiences.

Summer 2008 Iditarod Summer Camp Blog: Click here!

Click here for further information about future summer camp opportunities.

Click on images for a larger picture: