When you think of Iditarod in the classroom, it is easy to imagine the wide variety of projects that students are doing to practice their curriculum skills. Students are using the Internet to research about mushers and follow the race. Math skills are practiced while predicting a team’s speed between checkpoints. Students are reading, writing, and practicing basic skills. But, it isn’t just the students who are completing projects! Some teachers are going beyond using the lessons on our website and writing their own lessons. They are also setting professional goals to become the next Target® Iditarod Teacher on the Trail^TM.

This year, ten highly qualified educators have applied for Target® 2010 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail^TM by submitting a portfolio application that demonstrates their Iditarod thematic units and their goals for being involved in the Target® Iditarod Teacher on the Trail^TM program.

Why are they applying?

The response from each applicant to our question number one and additional information will help you get to know the teachers who sent in their application with the goal to expand the walls of their classroom and experience the Iditarod Trail first hand and teach globally via Internet as the next Target® Iditarod Teacher on the Trail^TM.

In one sentence, state your reason for applying for this position.

Nikki Allen, Florida, “It has become my goal to be the 2010 Teacher on the Trail^TM not only to succeed with a personal challenge, but also to be a representative of the Iditarod Trail Committee in helping teachers use the Iditarod theme to enrich their curriculums and to engage their students in developing the skills necessary for successful learning.” Nikki teaches Social Studies to 7^th and 8^th grade students at Fort Braden School in Tallahassee. Her area of expertise is World History and American History. She believes a key to academic success for students is to make the learning real and applicable. Nikki attended the 2008 Summer Camp for Teachers. Nikki says, “The theme can be effectively incorporated into numerous lesson plans for subjects touched on such as: character education, native heritage, concern for global climate changes, and physical fitness.”

Herb Brambley, Pennsylvania, “I am applying for teacher on the trail to further my life-long desire for learning and adventure so that I can share my enthusiasm in a way that will motivate my students to seek their own adventurous learning experiences.” Herb teachers Environmental Education and Technology at the Southern Fulton Elementary K- 6 school in Warfordsburg. He attended the 2008 Summer Camp for Teachers. Prior to being a teacher, Herb had a number of occupations: machinist, tool and dies maker, welder, farrier, blacksmith, and sawyer. “I consider myself very fortunate to have had so many different occupations since I can now take these experiences and incorporate them into real world situations for my students.” Being a tactile learner himself, he recognizes the need to bring real life experiences to students and guides students to learn through experiences.

Julie Burakowski, New York, “I would like to expand my knowledge of the Iditarod sled dog race and Alaska so that I will be better able to share this information with the students in my own school and around NY State.” Julie is a K-4 Gifted and Talented teacher from Country Parkway Elementary School in Willimasville. Julie first integrated the race into her high school English class in a unit designed to focus on the conflict of man verses nature. As she used the theme with elementary students, she noticed that students themselves began to expand their learning outside the classroom and began to find information on their own, which demonstrates the power of an Iditarod unit of study. About teaching, Julie says, “I want every student in my classroom to feel that they have the potential to be successful.”

Amy Dahmus, North Dakota, “I would like to fulfill a personal and professional goal that I have had for many years.” Born and raised in North Dakota, teaching for the past seventeen year in grades 4 – 6, Amy is currently a 5^th grade teacher at the Prairie Rose Elementary School in Bismarck. Amy is an explorer and loves the out of doors and nature. She is concerned about the environment and teaching students to be responsible and care for the environment. Amy is always looking to learn something new and adapt it to her classroom and her style of teaching. She is a life- long learner and stresses to her students the importance of being life-long learners. Amy states, “I believe that we need to live each day to the fullest, not with wild abandon but with zest and excitement looking to experience and learn new things.”

Martha Dobson, North Carolina, “I am reapplying for theTarget Teacher on the Trail position because the Iditarod sparks interest and learning as nothing else has done in my classroom and because the challenge the race presents to mushers, dogs, and me is a metaphor for the challenges of life and life opportunities, a strong example of setting goals, determination, and perseverance to run your personal race.” Martha teaches 6^th Grade Language Arts at Mount Pleasant Middle School in Mount Pleasant. She attended the 2007 Summer Camp for Teachers. Martha was an Idita-Rider at the start of the 2005 Iditarod. She also attended sessions at the 2005 Winter Iditarod Conference for Educators. Borrowing from Randy Pausch, Martha says, “Iditarod is a great “head fake” because students are so interested in the race they don’t realize they’re learning educational skills.”

Tee Hutton, Tennessee, “It is my hope that my adventurous spirit, love for the outdoors, and never-ending search to discover all I can about the world will lead to my selection as the Iditarod Teacher on the Trail so that I may share all that it entails with not only my junior high science students, colleagues, and stakeholders but also with teachers and pupils across the country in an adventure that will last a lifetime.” Tee is a 7^th Grade Science teacher at Adamsville, Jr. / Sr. High School in Adamsville. She attended the 2007 Summer Camp for Teachers and was an Idita-Rider at the start of the 2008 Iditarod. Tee, a native Tennessean has lived her life in West Tennessee. She is an active, outdoor-loving person, who is passionate about photography and enjoys outdoor sports such as golf, softball, and football. “I have aspirations of obtaining my Doctorate of Education.”

Linda Kal Sander, Florida, “I want to be the 2010 Target Teacher on the Trail to demonstrate how one topic as captivating as the Iditarod can be a tool for both professional development and character education.” Linda is Reading Coach and District Trainer at Pompano Beach Middle School in Pompano Beach. She attended the 2008 Winter Iditarod Conference for Educators. Linda’s personal philosophy states “there are only three things in life that are yours forever: education, experience, and faith.” Linda writes curriculum and is a ‘teacher’s teacher’ for the 6^th largest school district in the nation, reaching almost a thousand students with her Iditarod theme used throughout the district. She is a nationally recognized presenter of cooperative learning strategies and other areas including curriculum on an international level. “The Iditarod is a gold rush of spirit. The camaraderie of the mushers, volunteers, and fans is a fire that stays with your forever.”

Denise Pfaff, Maryland, “I love dream adventures that I am able to talk about to my students and telling them that you must have a plan and support to have a vision.” Denise teaches Technology K/5 at Johnnycake Elementary School. Denise has attended a workshop at the Baltimore Aquarium which included a sleep over night with the dolphins. This sparked her love of science. She also worked in Anchorage at the Imaginarium, planning a unit for Super Sleuth Week dealing with fire safety. Technology and technology instruction became a new passion allowing her to impact students educationally as they used technology in their curriculum.

Denny Shaffner, Pennsylvania, “I want to be able to better communicate my enthusiasm for and excitement about the North Country, its environment and way of life, through learning firsthand from those who participate in it.” Denny teaches third grade at Clearfield Elementary School in Clearfield. He has taught all grades and lives in a home that he built himself. Denny has been involved in first person portrayals and reenactment projects. As the president of the Clearfield County Historical Society, he is involved in acquisitions, maintenance, and in leading tour groups. His passion and interest in history is reflected in his curriculum writing projects, having developed a 4^th grade local history curriculum. Bringing history to life, making learning fun and applicable to real life is the obvious teaching styles. Denny demonstrates through his projects and travels. He has also led educator’s workshops to the Dominican Republic.

Sally Simon, New York, “I want to be a role model of lifelong learning for my students, and to show them that global learning means learning from people in ‘far-away places.” Sally is an Enrichment/Gifted and Talented teacher at Buchanan-Verplanck Elementary School. She states that she “rarely sits still” and is known as a fun teacher that introduces students to interesting topics such as forensics, bees, Leonardo Da Vinci, and of course, the Iditarod. She grew up an explorer, on the go. Sally has acted in and directed plays for Community Theater, organized fund raisers, and traveled to Guatemala and Paris. Sally says she is “an adventurer who marches to the beat of a different drummer, a life-long learner who strives to be creative in all endeavors, a teacher who strives to be a role model for her students…” Her challenge to us is “Catch up with her if you can!”

What have the applicants done so far? What will happen next?

Although ten might not seem like a large number of teachers to apply, keep in mind that applicants for this volunteer position must submit a portfolio document that is often several years in development representing years of classroom application. Prior to beginning their application process, educators often attend an Iditarod Teacher’s conference before the race or during the summer, to further sharpen their skills and knowledge base in quest of their goal to be the selected teacher. The completed portfolio serves as a testimony to what makes a good teacher- a best educator and how the use of Iditarod in the classroom as a highly effective learning tool.

The portfolio application document contains lesson plans and activities, answers to a variety of questions, a job résumé, goals and objectives, letters of recommendation, and examples of student projects. Applicants also submit a 3 – 5 minute video document that introduces the applicant to the committee and provides insight to the teacher’s communication and technology skills. The applicant sends an original and four copies of the portfolio, one for each of the educational selection committee members, to the Education Department by the first of December.

The selection committee, Alaskan educator, Sara Lamont, past Teacher on the Trail alumni, ‘Finney’ (1999), Jeff Peterson (2004), Terrie Hanke (2006), and Diane Johnson (2000) have the responsibility to ‘trek’ through more than 20 pounds of educational materials to review the application documents. Each committee member scores each application portfolio document using a rubric. The applicants are evaluated over a number of identified skills and attributes. The committee holds a teleconference in early January to review the scores, discuss the applicants, and to determine the finalists. The rubric scores and information are sent to all of the applicants, providing each educator who applied with feedback about their portfolio.

On or by January 15, three finalists will receive a phone call that invites them to continue the selection process by traveling to Alaska to attend the 2009 Iditarod Winter Teacher’s Conference (March 3 – 6, 2009) and compete in a selection process which includes personal interviews, presentations at the conference, volunteer responsibilities, and a competition project designed to challenge the finalists to demonstrate their ability to observe, report, write, create curriculum, problem solved, use technology, and be ‘trail ready’ for Iditarod as Target® 2010 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail^TM.

Teachers not selected as a finalist will receive notification via email and postal mail, containing feedback on their application document should they wish to reapply.

The week before the race is a busy, jam packed time for the finalists. The three finalists will have a personal interview with the committee on March 2. They’ll put in long hours that week competing for the experience of a lifetime that comes to the selected teacher. Seeing the start and the restart will be bonus experiences that week for the teachers. After the finalist completion concludes and the mushers are headed to Nome, the finalists will return to their home communities to wait for early April, when the selection committee announces the decision of the selection of the 12^th Teacher on the Trail.

Information will be posted at FOR TEACHERS to share highlights and information about the selection week activities.

Andrea “Finney” Aufder Heyde, the first Teacher on the Iditarod Trail (1999) has seen this program grow and expand from her dream to the thematic instructional tool that reaches a global audience of students pre-school through university level. Eleven teachers have followed her example and strived to bring quality teaching and learning to classrooms.

Target® is the Official Sponsor of Iditarod Teacher on the Trail^TM. Please visit the Target® website, click here.

The Target® 2009 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail^TM, Cathy Walters has many lesson ideas and messages on the website. Click here to look at the lessons and become involved in the projects.

Are you interested in applying for Target® Iditarod Teacher on the Trail^TM? Click here to view the application document and start making your plans! Use this ‘race season’ as the starting point to build your application. We look forward to seeing your application arrive!
Educators from other countries have inquired about being a future applicant, evidence that the Teacher on the Trail^TM program is as vast as the Iditarod Trail and wilderness of Alaska. This program encourages educators to be a life-long learner and improve their own teaching skills. The Teacher on the Trail program is dedicated to helping students to achieve academic success, develop technology skills, solve problems, and live as healthy citizens making positive choices.

Who will make the ‘finalist’ team and head to the start of the Iditarod 2009? Who will be selected as the Target® 2010 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail^TM?