One Picture, One Million Memories.

Educating the mind without educating the heart is not education at all.

-Aristotle

If I asked you, I am sure you would have a story about a favorite teacher throughout your life. I have many. Mr. Hammer, my first grade teacher encouraged my love of reading and challenged me to think outside of the box with hands on activities. He always had a pinecone Christmas ornament activity where we used powder and glitter to make an ornament for our parents. My parents still have the ornament hanging on their tree every year. Or Mrs. Storres who got tears in her eyes when I told her that I was going to be a teacher. I still keep in touch with her, and before she retired in the winter I would give her the fish I won at the carnival and kept in my horse trough-one year finding out that one was a piranha (her class was able to witness a carnivorous fish). A teacher’s passion radiates to students and keeps learning exciting.

At this year’s Iditarod Winter Teacher Conference I met teachers from throughout the world. I was inspired by their love of education and passion for incorporating the Iditarod into their classrooms. In being asked to choose ONE picture from my time in Alaska, almost all of my 2,174 pictures flooded my mind. This one stuck out the most because it reminded me of why I became a teacher. The relationships built among the staff at a school, and smiles on my students’ faces when we laugh about a funny moment keep me excited to go to school everyday. I met many teachers this past week, all of them inspirational with an Iditarod story to share. Many of them had to take precious days off to come to the conference, only to make their classroom more engaging and hands on for their students. In meeting teachers from throughout the world my students will have pen pals from Norway, be able to Skype and communicate with a class from Shaktoolik, and be provided with innovative, advanced Iditarod lessons. I have never had a more inspirational event in my educational career.

This picture reminded me of the pictures that the mushers all take together before the Iditarod starts. In my teacher conference picture as well as the musher picture, everyone is laughing about memories they have together. Both show a love of the race and the detailed infrastructure put in place behind the scenes for the race to be a success. There are people from cultures throughout the world, all experiencing the same event from a varying perspective, all creating an Iditarod melting pot. I look forward to growing these relationships with my new Iditarod family and having many Idita-laughs for years to come.