Hi Fellow Iditanuts,
I hope this finds everyone well!
I wanted to share some exciting events in my classroom. My rookie musher is Ken Kaltenbacher from Knik, Alaska. Kent is a retired teacher who has been very generous with his time and resources.
I have been in contact with Kent via telephone calls and emails. He and his wife Susie are featured on my class website. On October 5th, my math students got to ask Kent math questions via a conference call. I set it up ahead of time, it was a surprise for the students. I challenged them to think of questions they would ask Kent and then they had to be more specific and come up with a second question that would have a math answer. I went on with the lesson after they had their questions written down. Ten minutes later, the phone rang and it was Kent! They were so excited! Each student got to ask Kent his or her math question. We made a musher math poster with all of their questions and Kent's answers on it. It was a great day!
Last Thursday, October 24th, my homeroom class received a box with dog harnesses and booties from Knik, one for each student. The kids were so pumped! Kent has challenged the students to write a report about everything they have learned about Alaska after the race is over. If every student writes a report he has promised them a surprise! I'm hoping he is not going to send 19 dogs to Nebraska! He is going to downsize his kennel after the race! Oh no, this could be bad Ha! Ha!
Kent has shared his knowledge about the Native American culture, Alaska, and the Iditarod. His willingness to connect with my students has brought the great state of Alaska to my eager little landlocked, Nebraska students. Connecting with students and kids never truly leave an educator's heart. His Alaskan hospitality reminded me of the summer of conference. We had the best of the best, people who were willing to share their knowledge of Alaska, their adventures and their love of the Iditarod. It was a great experience that I will never forget.
Thank you Diane Johnson and the Iditarod Trail Committee for providing this wonderful rookie learning opportunity for students and teachers!
Have a great week!
