Oct 1, 2009 6:37 pm US/Eastern
Board of Education: Skating Through 6th Grade
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
11-year-old Logan Winkler's on the ride of his life ...
"My giant dream is to become a professional skateboarder."
But first, he'll have to finish sixth grade. That's why the New Hampshire native is rolling his love of skating into his requirements as a student. The result? A nine month, cross-country trip on "the board of education."
"It's a way to engage in learning directly, hands on through experience, rather than in a laboratory of a classroom," said Logan's Dad Matthew Winkler.
As headmaster and tour director, Winkler hopes the real-life history lesson will improve Logan's academic focus, an idea the local public school surprisingly supports.
"I thought, wow …Okay, I'm not that crazy. So, we just decided that when you get to the edge, you don't step, you jump," explained Winkler.
And this week, they landed in Philadelphia. The city of brotherly love marks destination number nine on their road map.
"Basically, we call ahead and find either friends or family or some place we can pitch our tent or sleep on the couch," said Winkler.
Mornings are spent at a local library, where Logan completes course work sent by his teacher. That's followed by a trip to a local museum and finally, a skate park.
"You don't know it, but skateboarding applies a lot of physics. I didn't know that until yesterday," explained Logan.
The day caps off with a SKYPE call to his mom and sister, something Logan says helps him feel less homeseick. But, with one month down and eight more to go, only time will tell how this project rolls out.
"Success for me is that Logan finishes this year more confident about himself and his academic abilities. If we get more than that, if he gets better at skating, that's gravy," said Winkler.
So, what happens after you skate through sixth grade? According to Logan …
"50SkateKid … the world tour!"
You can follow the Winkler's cross-country skate trip online at
50skatekid.com.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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