Target Iditarod Teacher on the Trail^™ 2008 Teacher on the Trail^™ Sponsored by

Jane Blaile from Phoenix, Arizona

• Return to 2008 Archived Materials

Jane Blaile is from Christ Lutheran School in sunny Phoenix, Arizona. This is her 17th year teaching, having taught 4–8th grades over the years. Her bachelor’s degree in elementary education is from Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL, and she holds a master’s degree with a specialization in gifted education from the University of Missouri, St. Louis, MO. Currently she teaches 5th grade with an emphasis on science. What she loves about teaching is making learning fun and interesting for all learners, then seeing that “Aha!” moment when they discover something, figure out a problem, or achieve something new.

Jane has two daughters, 14 and 11; her husband works as a healthcare information technology consultant. They share their home with 4 cats and a dog. As a family, they love to travel, go camping, play games, have parties, swim, and see movies. In her free time, Jane enjoys gardening, hiking, riding her bike, and reading. She feels life should be experienced to its fullest and people should make a point of learning about the world and its people.

The excitement and adventure of the Iditarod is what first lured Jane into using it in her classroom. The value of using it became stronger as she saw that the Iditarod is the story of the Alaskan people, their spirit, their commitment, and their history. Jane uses the Iditarod throughout all the curricular areas in her classroom, from art to science, P.E. to writing. She encourages others to use the Iditarod in their classrooms as a tool to reach all learners.

“Although the Iditarod happens only once a year, it is a year long tale of practice and training, a lesson we can all learn from. The mushers compete in this race to accomplish something. I emphasize the power in that to my students: trying new things, accomplishing goals and doing your best at it.”

Join Jane, the tenth Teacher on the Trail™, as she expands the walls of her classroom to include this educational journey of a lifetime!