This fall Barrett van operator Steve Godan and operations manager George Follensbee visited Andrew Cooke Magnet School in Waukegan, Illinois to launch a year of our Discover America program. This is a great program for fourth and fifth grade students – helping them to learn about geography, with doses of math, science and career development. Van operator Godan represented United Van Lines’ “Driver Dave,” who sends the students postcards from each stop on his year-long Discover America itinerary. He’ll also send information about each city as he goes.

Follensbee and Godan brought a United States map with them, and the class will track Driver Dave’s route. The classroom visit includes a chance to climb up in the cab of the truck to see how a truck driver lives on the road. Some trucks have the “basics” – sleeper compartment and room to keep personal items. Others are outfitted with everything from microwaves to DVD players to a window over the kitchen sink. (That’s for real – I’ve seen it!)

The students get to ask questions and that’s where the math, science and career development really get interesting. They want to know everything? What do drivers do when they’re not working? How many miles per gallon does the tractor-trailer get? What’s the difference between regular gasoline and diesel fuel? What’s the most interesting place they’ve ever been? Would they recommend a truck driver’s life? The range of questions is amazing and fun for the van operator who visits the classroom. The teachers appreciate the “real life” geography lessons and the way the program continues throughout the school year.

Driver Dave has traveled to Boston, New York, Chicago, Portland, Washington DC, Denver and St. Louis so far this year. He’s shared his visits to Arlington National Cemetery, Ellis Island, the Oregon Trail, the USS Constitution, the Gateway Arch, the US Mint and the John Hancock Center and lots of other places. Teachers report that their students love getting the postcards from Driver Dave, and plotting his route out on the map.

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 24th, 2008 at 5:37 pm and is filed under Feature. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.