Hello everyone in the North Star Community!  It is Spring Break, and I am doing all the things I never have time to do, like writing blog posts. (OK, I’d rather be on a beach in Mexico!!)  My “North Star” focus this year in my classroom has been my students’ BIG DREAMS.  This is the second year I have included big dreams as part of our goals for the year.  The big dreams have become part of our discussions and even part of our lessons and projects, which has been amazingly fun and worthwhile. 

For seven years, I have also been following the Iditarod dog sled race that takes place in Alaska beginning the first Saturday in March each year.  Thanks to the fantastic people who run the Iditarod and the amazing the Web site http://www.iditarod.com/, this event is a perfect way to integrate standards-based activities with pure and simple fun.  The activities I do with my class related to the Iditarod create more energy and excitement among the children AND their families than anything else I do.  There is also a sense a community that develops as previous students and parents check in to see how the race is going and to let us know that they are following as well. I am not at all a sports fanatic, but I sort-of stumbled upon the Iditarod as I was doing research years ago for a project for college. I guess dog sled racing is not as popular a sport as football or basketball, but for those of us who get “hooked” it has all the excitement and drama that you could want. 

So what does this have to do with the North Star Community and big dreams?  Well, because of the way the Iditarod Web site is set up, viewers get to really know the mushers (racers), their lives, families and dreams.  The Iditarod race takes about nine days or more to complete, and you have to really want reach this goal get involved in it.  It is one of the lessons that you can use with children as they track the mushers each day and read about what is going on during the race.  Also, there are certain mushers with inspirational stories.  Once the children (or adults) connect with the race and the mushers, they appreciate these inspirational stories on a different level.  This year, for example, I was able to share a touching and emotional story with my class that had special meaning to them because of our own discussions of dreams.  A student in my class brought in some photos that his grandmother gave him to share, knowing we were studying the Iditarod.  It was photos of a former Iditarod winner, Susan Butcher (a very popular winner if you know the history of the Iditarod race).  He explained how his grandparents met her years ago and how she does not race anymore.  He explained that she now trains dogs in Alaska.  I knew that unfortunately Susan Butcher had died two summers ago after a fierce battle with cancer.  The Iditarod community shared her story via the Web site and continues to share information about her family.  I decided that I should tell the class, which I did.  Luckily, a few days later, I was able to share this fantastic story with them, and I could really tell that they connected with her and what what the article was saying, as if it was written directly to them.  Here is the link: http://www.iditarod.com/teachers/news/story_553.html. The article talks about having big dreams but it also talks about making a difference through the small things we do each day.  This was perfect connection for my students because another part of their goals for the year are making a difference in their community (they cut out the North Star and listed on the star points five goals for the year:  big dream, community goal, school goal, family goal, healthy goal).  

If you have never followed the Iditarod, I encourge you to check it out. The race is just about over - but it’s not over until the last musher crosses the finish line (which is days after the first musher crosses the finish line - another great lesson!!  Each of my students track a musher, and it was such a refreshing thing to have a young child excited for his musher who was in 78th place but then was in 71st place!!!) Start going through the site now and then you have until next year to get ready. There is TONS of info.  And, once the race is over for this year, the countdown starts for next year!  I’m already excited!!!

It is one thing to have activities in the classroom.  That is important and worthwhile.  But, when the children can see that what we are doing matches what is going on outside our school and that we are connected to the “real world” I  think it makes sense to them at a different level.  We are fortunate to have the technology to allow for more of these connections to happen.

KEEP CONNECTING!!!

Maryann

(ps - If anyone is interested in seeing some of what we do with the Iditarod in the classroom, click on www.crsd.org\molishus and click 2008 Iditarod Race from the left navigation bar.)