Tag Archives: teachers live at school

>Flat Stanley visits a Virtual School

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(By guest blogger Flat Stanley)
I went to work today with Daisy.
Daisy is a teacher in a newfangled kind of school; she teaches online.

Daisy’s students (and those of the school) live all over the state of Wisconsin. There’s a map in the school offices showing where the students live. Wow! They’re really spread out.

Daisy took me around the high school side of the school. I met the Social Studies teacher, and we fooled around with Google Maps. He was looking for Westminster Abbey.

The high school language arts teacher has a cubicle full of posters encouraging reading – everything from Shakespeare to (be still my flattened heart) the Cat in the Hat.

Ah, high school science. I look forward to biology and earth science. I have a little more math to learn before starting physics. It’ll take more than just knowing how to add, or so I’ve been told.

Back in Daisy’s cubicle, she taught me to use a rubric to grade writing projects.
She looked over my first one and decided to grade the rest herself. I guess teaching writing isn’t my strength – yet.

Well, science is still one of my favorite subjects, so Daisy logged me into a Virtual Class in middle school science.

Cool. Very cool. The teacher called on students and then let them “write” on the virtual whiteboard to connect vocabulary words with their meaning. This would be a great way to learn, at least for a flat geek like me. I could keep on traveling, as long as I had Internet access.

I looked over Ms. W’s shoulder as she worked on lesson plans.

Then I moved once again to middle school language arts. They write a lot of essays. Wow!

We couldn’t stay away from Daisy’s desk for long, so I offered to help her make phone calls.
A fifth grader needed help with her math. Ooh, those multi-step problems. They rock my socks off! Wait. I don’t wear socks. Never mind.

Daisy and her coworkers were great hosts. They told me if I want to teach like they do, I need a working knowledge of computers – and a talent for making coffee.

Thanks to Flat Stanley, visitor from Irving, TX, for the guest post today.

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>Pizza? A vegetable?

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>Pizza: I love to pile on veggies and herbs. Spinach, basil, oregano. Peppers, onions, garlic. Tomatoes and tomato sauce.

But really, Congress and USDA, commercially made pizza in itself is not a vegetable.
My homemade pizzas are covered with at least two kinds of cheese – real Wisconsin cheese, of course. I don’t call it a dairy product, even though it probably has a thick enough cheese layer to qualify.
Local restaurants make pizzas from scratch with zucchini and spinach and other fresh, delicious ingredients. They don’t claim to meet the recommended daily allowance of vegetables. In all honesty, the local pizzas have enough toppings that they probably would meet the goal.
But seriously. A frozen pizza with a thin layer of sauce? Not, I repeat NOT, a vegetable. Require a minimum amount of real tomato in a required amount of sauce, and then maybe I’ll believe it’s nutritious. I know how I make pizza, and I’ve seen the pizza in school cafeterias. Folks, there’s no contest.
Now consider that many children get the best meal of their day at school, and then think about that slice of pizza.
No, people, pizza is not a vegetable.
Would you like to tell Congress that pizza is not a vegetable? Click here to sign a petition and support true nutrition in school meals.

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>Flat Stanley visits Lambeau Field

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When Flat Stanley arrived in my mailbox from Irving, Texas, we knew one place we needed to go: Lambeau Field. Chuck folded Stanley into his wallet and headed off to work.
Stan’s first stop was the Lombardi statue at the entrance. He held onto Vince’s left shoe; that first step would be a doozy.


The best place to start any tour is the Lambeau Field Atrium, including the entrance to the field itself. Can you see the lines on the floor? They line up exactly with the yard lines on the field itself. “Impressive,” thought Stanley.


Stanley’s first stop was the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame where he saw the collection of Lombardi trophies. He felt a lump in his throat as he viewed the most recent addition to the collection, the trophy from last season, Super Bowl XLV.


Then Stanley considered his choices. Locker Room or Field? The locker room was locked, so on to the field it was.


“Wow,” thought Stanley. “This is hallowed ground, not frozen tundra.”


Flat Stanley had the good fortune (and the connections) to sit on the sound board during the evening show of Larry McCarren’s Locker Room. The studio audience overflowed the place for this guest: Aaron Rodgers himself.

Stan was exhausted after his Green Bay adventures, so he climbed back into his envelope in Chuck’s wallet and went to sleep. After all, tomorrow would be another day. There were places to go, people to see, and adventures galore awaiting his flat little self.

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>State politics? Felonies? Say it isn’t so, Wisconsin!

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>One Wisconsin Now felt compelled to raise money for the recall cause – but not to fund a candidate or circulate petitions. This progressive organization raised $10,000 to create a reward fund: a reward for information about recall petition destruction.

Wisconsin progressives noticed conservative leaders boasting about their plans to circulate bogus petitions or circulate real petitions and then destroy them. Some posted their boasts on Facebook, declaring their intentions to burn enough petitions to heat their homes for the winter.
Hyperbole aside, destroying recall petitions is a felony. Whether they really mean to interfere with the recall election process or just wanted to thump their three-piece-suited chests, Governor Walker’s cronies are looking rather ridiculous right now. Publicly bragging about the possibility has attracted people who may have been neutral, and those people are donating money to organizations like One Wisconsin Now to fund the recall and offer rewards to those who report interference.
It’s so sad, so disappointing, to see my state reach record lows that have nothing to do with winter temperatures. I applaud One Wisconsin Now for its creative PR efforts and its willingness to raise money for a reward fund that should be unnecessary.
When the disagreements interfere with the Democratic process, that’s going too far.

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>Political Fodder – Again

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>I attended a school board meeting. I was one of many teachers who crowded into the board room and the hallway, spilling out almost onto the sidewalk. We said little or nothing, just applauded when our representatives spoke. Our presence, however, made our position clear; we are the teachers. We do the work. We want to continue doing good work for the children. Bashing us into the ground isn’t the strategy that will improve education.

Then, at 12:01 A.M., the recall movement officially began. If every teacher recruits ten people to sign a recall petition, we’ll have it done. All the while, this story wove its way through my mind. It’s worth another retell.
Let’s call her Mrs. Lerner, the teacher in this story. Mrs. Lerner passed away, and continued on her peaceful way toward the pearly gates. St. Peter met her with, “Welcome, Mrs. Lerner. Here in Heaven, we all make contributions. What would you like to do?” Mrs. Lerner responded, “I’m a teacher, so I’ll teach.”


Peter called over St. John-Baptiste de la Salle, the patron saint of teachers, and had him escort Mrs. Lerner to her new classroom. When she got there, she was was shocked to see the conditions. 40 desks. 35 textbooks, all outdated. Pencils, pens, and paper were sufficient to supply the class for perhaps one day, no computers existed, and a cracked chalkboard hung on the front wall. A single piece of paper lay on the teacher’s desk, reminding her of hall duty and recess duty.
“Holy crap, St. Johnny-B. What the hell is this?” she exclaimed.

Suddenly, Mrs. Lerner was in an entirely different locale, escorted by a devilishly handsome young man. With a fiendish smile and a flick of his very attractive -um – tail, he brought her to a very different classroom. 15 desks, well-equipped with supplies, books of all reading levels and interests, an interactive whiteboard, a stack of iPads enough for the entire group, and behind each student, supportive parents. On her desk lay a contract offering the opportunity to bargain for decent working conditions as long as she continued to teach.

“I don’t understand,” she murmured, shaking her head. “Why the advantages here, of all places?”
The devilishly handsome escort twitched his – um – tail, smiled his fiendish smile, and slyly reminded the dedicated educator, “Mrs. Lerner, when you asked the governor for this, where did he tell you to go?”

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>Testing, 1, 2, 3

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State testing. Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam. Criterion Referenced Items. Rubrics. Fill in the bubble. Make sure you erase completely and make your new mark heavy and dark. Use only a number 2 pencil. Any questions? You have 40 minutes. Begin.

I teach online, and my students live all over the state of Wisconsin. Since we can’t expect all of them to come to us, we go to them for the required tests. I put on my test season sweatshirt (above) and get ready to go.

My destination: a hotel with conference room that will hold all of our area students. Two of my colleagues and I set up camp in our hotel rooms, including connection to the hotel wi-fi and an in-depth investigation of the in-room coffee makers.

I set out my clothes for the next day — casual, yet teacher-dressy — on the spare bed.

In the morning, students armed with number 2 pencils would be ready to attack their test booklets.


I hope they all remember that multiple choice items have only one answer, and they should make their marks heavy and dark.

And I sure hope I can forget this repetitive test proctor speech so it stops running through my head and invading my dreams at night!

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>Not scary at all: vote for my school in this grant competition!

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2011 Project Innovate is a program sponsored by Cellcom that allows school supporters to vote for one school in the surrounding area to receive prize money for the purchase of technology. It is WCA’s desire to help each student maximized his/her potential and meet the highest proformance standards. While WCA does everything they can be provided the best education possible for your student, there are many great tools out there that could assist with accomplishing this goal. This contest is simple. Vote for WCA. Each individual can vote one per email address.

Grand Prize: $30,000 for the purchase of technology

First Prize: $15,000 for the purchase of technology

Second Prize: $5,000 for the purchase of technology

The best part is that there are only 8 local schools participating.

The project ends at 11:59 p.m. on November 22, 2011. To vote for WCA all you need to do is go to http://wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/164554 (or Cellcom.com, click on Project Innovate).

Please pass the link on and encourage others to vote for Wisconsin Connections Academy.

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>Top Ten Reasons to enjoy teaching online

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…or… Top Ten Reasons my new job is right for me

10. It lets me unleash my inner geek.

9. I can have a bad hair day and no one will know.
8. I step into the hall and breathe the rarified air of administration (we’re on the same floor as Student Services, Special Ed., and Title I, among other powerful offices)
7. I get to work with a bunch of other teachers unleashing their own inner geeks.
6. I can play with clip art and pretend I’m working.
5. I’m a good independent worker. Bloggers & writers are often self-motivated types, and I’m both.
4. Those headsets with microphones look oh so fashionable with my hearing aids.
3. I never need to leave sub plans! Well, that’s both a blessing and a curse.
2. My “Teaching Wisconsin to Read” coffee cup can sit by my side, full, all morning.
1. I can use the bathroom any time I need it and not have to wait for a recess bell!

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>Celebrating Abilities Week and more

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>Sometimes there are just too many celebrations and commemoration days/weeks/months. This week in my fair city the downtown area and the school district have their version of Disability Awareness. In our neck of the woods, we call it Celebrating Abilities. I’ve had concerns about the way this group has portrayed disabled people as cute, incapable, very needy children. In the past few years they have changed their focus for the better. A few years ago they sponsored a recital that included a blind violinist and a cellist with one arm. Both are very talented musicians.

This year the theme is faces: the face of disability. Promotional posters feature adults, many of whom work at Goodwill Industries. It’s a step forward, but also a step back, as the majority of the poster models have cognitive disabilities.
Why not take this a step farther? Follow a disabled adult like me through a normal workday. It might be dull, and maybe that’s the point. I need some accommodations, but I’m an average, everyday professional on the job. I’m not a poster child for anything; I’m a teacher. A teacher with a hearing impairment, yes, but mainly a teacher.
I announced my new hearing aids to my coworkers via email, the norm in our online environment. I explained that I was adjusting to the new technology and they might need to bear with me for a little while. Within three minutes I had several replies, all positive.
One called me a good sport and an inspiration.
One thanked me for educating him about hearing loss.
Several wished me good luck with the transition.
One put a lump in my throat with her supportive comments.
This is the reality of being a disabled person. In some work environments, my hearing loss was basis for bullying and ridicule. In a positive work climate, dealing with my disability is not a big deal. My coworkers and I simply, well, deal with it, pass the coffee, and get back to work.
October’s calendar also sports a depression awareness movement. Our wellness department, officially called the Office of Lifestyle Enhancement, included in their newsletter a short paragraph and several information links. One year ago, I could have been the poster model for this devastating illness. I’m recovering – not recovered yet, but making major progress. Working with positive people is a huge factor in developing peace of mind. A safe workplace makes a big difference as I’m healing – and beyond.
If you’re interested, here are the links:

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>Since school started…

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>Since school started, I haven’t —

  • gone thrift store shopping
  • prepared a donation box for Goodwill
  • gotten out my winter Packers gear
  • brought in firewood
  • redecorated the fireplace mantel
Why does any of that matter? Well…
I create holiday gifts from thrift store finds, and that takes time. If I start now, I might find some decent baskets for my homemade goodies.
I have a pile of potential donations sitting in the corner of my bedroom. These pieces were taking up space in my dresser; now they’re taking up space on my floor.
Packer gear? Good heavens, need you ask? My pink Packers polo won’t last into December – maybe not even November.
As for the fireplace, it’s fireplace weather. Damp, cool, not enough to turn the heat on, just enough that a fire in the fireplace will take the edge off the dampness.
The current display of Amigo’s awards is a special collection. Since the Brewers are in the MLB playoffs and the Super Bowl Champion Packers started out 3-0, I think it’s time for a sports themed mantel again.
There you have it; my October goals. Can I do it? Maybe. In between cataract surgeries and schools testing trips and who knows what else….

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