2 Wisconsin Teachers Make All-Usa Team

Two Wisconsin teachers will shine from the pages of USA Today this year as the newest members of the All-USA Teacher Team.

WEAC members Lisa Peterson of Janesville and Gina Wagner of Manitowoc are two of 23 teachers nationwide in grades K-12 recognized for their outstanding teaching methods.

Each teacher was briefly profiled in the national newspaper on Thursday (October 13, 2005), and will appear in features throughout the year.

Teachers also win $500, plus $2,000 for their school.

Manitowoc All-USA teacher

Wagner, an 11-year Spanish and French teacher at Washington Jr. High School and Lincoln High School in Manitowoc, encourages her students to use their language skills to help others.

Students have translated books for the county jail, created bilingual flip books for nurses and patients at a local hospital and tutored Hispanic students. Last year, students opened a "survival English" school for Hispanic adults with free day care and courses running three days a week for 13 weeks.

Whereas some curriculums treat foreign languages as electives, Wagner emphasizes how language skills can improve the future – professionally and personally - for her students.

"She makes us feel like we need to know Spanish like we need to know math," said student Jessica Dirkman, 17.

Fighting racism and supporting diversity are two major themes in her teaching - and in her life.

"When I was in college I worked part time in retail where I witnessed intense discrimination against the Hmong culture," Wagner said. "So I invited everyone over to my parent's house, to get into a social setting, and we enjoyed Hmong food, and everyone got to know each other beyond the stereotypes. Language skills can help bring groups of different people together."

Wagner uses the same approach today in her classroom, creating a family-like, accepting atmosphere.

"Foreign language can be intimidating," Wagner said. "Everyone is at different levels, so it's important that everyone feels safe to participate. I tell students that everyone is special, and it's our job to figure out why. I have zero tolerance for people who make fun of others for trying."

This is one of many recent awards for Wagner. She has been featured on Teachers Are Tops, won a Manitowoc County Education Impact Award and was a Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Fellowship recipient.

Janesville All-USA teacher

Peterson, who is certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, has been teaching English and speech at Parker High School in Janesville for 13 years. She's well known for her can-do spirit, using teamwork to motivate her classes and rewarding students for setting and achieving their goals.

During her tenure at Parker, Peterson helped start the 9th-Grade Block Program in 1994 with smaller English, math and science classes for at-risk students. More than 80% of the program's students have graduated in recent years. Peterson also led development of Block Bonding Day with team-building exercises to help kids find their niche.

"We take a day in fall semester for team-building exercises where students get to know other students and staff, and then they feel more comfortable for the rest of the year and tend to do better," Peterson said.

Students like Peterson because she promotes equity in class discussions by drawing students' names from a fish bowl, encouraging even the most reluctant student to contribute.

"She doesn't try to embarrass anyone," said Parker student Janelle Brown, 15.

"As all good teachers do, I try to encourage students to participate – in a non-threatening way," Peterson said.

Peterson, who was also a Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Fellowship recipient and one of Janesville's two teachers of the year last year, has a very busy extracurricular calendar; she chairs Unity Day, advises Key Club, and is human-relations coordinator.

She has also started a diversity training program for potential student leaders.

"Anything that's unpaid, and they need somebody to organize it, she'll do it," said fellow Parker teacher Steve Thompson. "She's pretty much, 'What's best for kids is what's best for all of us.' "

Peterson said being named to the All-USA Teacher Team is an honor, but not just for her.

"Anytime someone in the school has a moment in the sun, it raises everyone's level of school pride," Peterson said. "It's been fun to see how even students are excited. They'll proudly say, 'I know her. I go to school there.'"

Peterson is also looking forward to finding an appropriate use of the cash awards from both USA Today and the Kohl Foundation.

"I have $3,000 to spend," she said. "I want to use it for some kind of technology for public speaking. Right now, we just have an old camcorder."

All-USA Teacher Team

Posted October 18, 2005