Hi Everyone! My week at "Iditarod Teacher Camp" was one of the highlights of my teaching career. I hope it was just as awesome for all of you! The "Annual Volunteer Picnic and Musher Sign-up" was a high point because I met a man who took me around to all of the Redington family members to introduce me and give me time to get to know them a little. I also was able to connect with the rookie musher that my class will adopt next year named Tim Reilly. He lives and competes in Michigan so my students will certainly get to meet him and possibly attend one of his races. I had to leave the picnic early so I missed some of the special things that happened to all of you. I would love to hear some of your stories from the picnic here on this blog.
My adventures continued after the camp with a trip to Seward. I kayaked, took a boat tour, hiked to a glacier, visited the Sea Life Center, and even walked to the "Historic Start of the Iditarod Trail." On the boat tour, I got up close to lots of wildlife including puffins, humpback whale, sea otters and sea lions. I met some neat people along the way including a girl who worked at the cannery and told me all about that industry, a woman who homesteaded in Alaska years ago and has sung on stage with Hobo Jim, and retired teachers who have fantastic summer jobs in Alaska.
After Seward, I headed north by bus and train to Fairbanks. (Yes--this was a wierd route.) I spent an afternoon in Anchorage, a night in Talkeetna, and enjoyed the wonderful views while riding the Alaska Railroad. It gave me time to write a complete journal of the trip and reflect on all that I learned and want to incorporate into my classroom next year. In Fairbanks, I visited the "Raw Fur Company" and got sample animal furs for my class to study, took a riverboat tour that stopped at David Monson's Kennel (Suan Butcher's husband,) saw and talked with Jessie Royer and heard her presentation about dog sledding and saw her dog team. The riverboat tour also included a visit to a replica Native Alaskan fish camp with extensive demonstrations by some talented Native Alaskans. Their beadwork was inclredible and is displayed in the Smithsonian Museum. Last, I visited a working gold mine and panned for gold. While it felt a little like "Alaska Disney," I did think of ways to incorporate panning for gold into science (seperating mixtures) and I even got a little bit ($10 worth) of real gold!
All in all, it was the teaching trip of a lifetime. I missed having my family there, but I definitely am going to come back with them sometime soon.
I really enjoyed meeting all of you and want to hear how this trip affected you both personally and as a teacher. I can't help but wonder who I might see mushing in the race some day or who might be the "Teacher on the Trail" in the future. I look forward to checking your websites (especially Jeanne in Minnesota and Ellen in New Jersey) to see what new Iditarod resources you have online. I hope all of you will check my blog and leave me comments. (Remember--it is meant to be at a Third Grade level.) The address is http://andersonwealthy.blogspot.com/
I appreciate all the pictures some of you have sent me and the CD I just got from Jill! Have a wonderful rest of the summer and keep in touch!
Betsy
