Dog mushing in Stewartville, Minnesota!
Friday, March 4, 2011 at 3:16PM The past couple of weeks I have been helping Adam Eickhoff's third grade classroom as they follow the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and learn about the story of Balto! One of the things that is so cool about it is that I went to 3rd grade in Stewartville too! It makes me wonder if any of these young students will find their way up here someday :) It has been awesome for me to hear about what the students are learning, and what they are up to, and to think about how much has changed for me since then.
Adam and I went to high school in Chatfield together, and he has been following the Iditarod with his 3rd grade classroom for the past couple of years. Inspired by the book Stone Fox written by John Reynolds Gardiner, he has worked towards integrating this into his classroom, and helping to instill a sense of adventure in his students.
As part of their curriculum, the students are learning about the geography in the state of Alaska, the history of dog mushing, as well as many aspects about life in Alaska. They are also learning about a few mushers and their teams, and will be tracking them throughout the race. One of the things I am looking forward to seeing is some of the art that they are creating in their class! In the next few days, I will try to post some pictures of what they are making.
Especially exciting is some of the teams they are following! This year, the class is following Jessie Royer, who's dogs I ran on the glacier last summer, as well as Sven Haltmann, who Thomas handled for and who we have gotten some dogs from!
Through email exchange, I have been able to answer students questions about mushing and living in Alaska, by providing pictures of Alaska and the dogs, and to show what our life is like. Living up here, it seems very normal to live how we do, and spend our lives with the dogs. But, it is quite a different reality from what life was in Stewartville, where as a kid from 3rd-7th grade I used to live in the country off of County Rd 8.
The students have been able to see pictures of the handler cabin that I lived in, and think about how different it would be to live in on permafrost, having to haul water for humans and dogs. They have asked questions about how we feed, and how much we run. And I have sent pictures of the fermented salmon that the dogs enjoy so much, as well as pictures of the dogs running across Alaska. They have asked questions about the challenges, and the joys of dog mushing. Besides following the Iditarod from books and the internet, it is giving them a 'real' connection to someone that actually lives in Alaska.
This morning, I had an early morning Skype meeting with Adam's class, as well as two other classes from the 3rd grade. Looking out, it was a sea of really well behaved 3rd graders! 75 people were crammed into that classroom, and they really were great! During our meeting, I talked about what a dog handler does, and what the life of a musher entails. And, then some of the students from his class took a turn to come and ask some specific questions about my dogs.
The questions were great! Asked who the fastest dog was, they cheered to hear it was Harley! Having seen some pictures of the dogs, he was the natural favorite! Super cute and affectionate and friendly!
When asked the dogs names, I lost count and only named seven. But, a student from the class saved me, and yelled the last dog, Kateel! How could I forget my princess! But, they sure remembered her!
Over the past week or so working with the students, I've looked forward to hearing what questions they have everyday, and being able to answer them. It has definitely been a highlight of my week. Over the next two weeks, we will all be following the Iditarod, and cheering on all the dogs and their mushers. I hope that as one of their connections to Alaska, I can help them feel a closeness and fondness for this amazing sport and the state. It will be an adventure for us both!
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