Wife of local businessman teaches hundreds via Internet
By:Marcia Miller, Telegraph Staff Writer August 21, 2003
The bell doesn't ring in the morning to signal the start of class. No one issues tardy passes. There is no dress code. Lunch is not provided to students. Buses never pick up students or drive them home. Faculty are never concerned with the behavior of the students in hallways or bathrooms.
If you think this sounds like an irresponsible sort of school, think again. The Florida Virtual School is open to any student in the state via the Internet. Classes are free. They do count for high school graduation credit and they can be completed by the students on their own time - anytime. Students take courses at midnight, at 4 a.m., during the regular school day, in the afternoons - anytime the student wants to.
Debbie Adams, wife of Starke business owner Bill Adams of Chevrolet of Starke, has taught a number of Bradford County students, but had rarely been to the area prior to her husband's taking over the car dealership. The couple lives in St. Augustine and Debbie teaches about 200 students at a time as a faculty member of the Florida Virtual School. She teaches American government and is one of 100 faculty members who teach 75 courses to students in all 67 counties in the state.
Adams graduated from Florida State University in 1992 with a degree in political science and criminology. She went to the University of North Florida, added education to her degree list and started teaching full time in a traditional classroom in 1994.
She taught one year of world history, American sign language and law studies at St. Augustine High School and then taught the fifth grade gifted class taught at Rollins Elementary for a while. She returned to St. Augustine to serve the high school as activities director and cheerleading coach.
When she and her husband decided to start a family, they also decided they preferred to have a parent at home with the child as much as possible. Debbie stepped into that position and gave up her classroom.
However, she heard about the Florida Virtual School about four years ago and applied to the Orlando-based organization.
" I wasn't sure that this was even something I wanted to do at first," said Adams. "But it would allow me to be at home with my son and still continue to teach."
From an initial uncertainty, Adams went full steam ahead and never looked back. Now she said she enjoys the virtual school very much. Her son will be entering school himself soon, but when asked, Adams said she didn't think she would go back to the traditional classroom again.
" I do miss some aspects of the traditional school setting. I loved to teach elementary. I had so much fun with those kids," Adams said. She recounted a story about teaching elementary students about the Civil War by dressing up in costumes from that period and having marching practice, etc. Teaching job skills to students by opening and running a breakfast cafe at school was another highlight she recounted. "Those are the kinds of things I miss," she said.
Those types of physically interactive activities are seldom possible with the Florida Virtual School, although students do occasionally meet together at a central location for a special activity. But the interaction between teacher and student and groups of students that is possible via the Internet is surprising.
Adams said her day starts early, before her son gets up. She spends about two hours checking her e-mail and returning phone calls. She is always on call for her students. They can e-mail her, instant-message her if she is on line, call her on her cell phone or page her. If they have a question they need help with, they can almost always reach her, said Adams.
She is team teaching this semester and she and her fellow teacher have about 200 students throughout the state, so Adams typically gets a lot of e-mail.
" I can return those messages within 24 hours, though. Usually I return them within just a few hours. The Florida Virtual School places a lot of emphasis on customer service (with the students as the customer)," she said. "It's very important for us to keep in contact with the students."
Adams then spends most of her spare time during the day and much of her evening grading work that students have done. "I feel it is very important to put a lot of feedback on their work so they can be assured that they are doing well or so that they will know if they need to do a little more work," she said.
If she feels a student needs more help than just feedback can give him or her, she calls the student on the phone.
Whether she is on the phone, using an instant messaging system or e-mailing, Adams said the Internet can provide a lot of one-on-one contact.
" I think I can get one-on-one with my students more often than most traditional teachers can. If you have 30 students for 50 minutes, you can't give one too much individual attention because you have to constantly be aware of what everyone else is doing and be able to offer them help as well. When I deal with a student. I deal with only one at a time. Most classroom teachers don't have that luxury," she said.
Adams said the parents are not left out of the loop in the virtual school, either. Teachers contact parents before a student begins the class and keep in contact with them throughout. "I make sure the parents, as well as the student, know what to expect," she said.
Adams and her students even form their own classroom chat room where topics from the course and politics in general (since the course is American government) are discussed. Students come and go as they want to and the discussions get pretty lively, she said. Governor Jeb Bush is even trying to arrange a visit to the class chat room to discuss government with the students.
" I think the virtual school is wonderful. Especially if you have a student who might be afraid to raise his hand in a traditional class. most of the time he won't feel afraid to ask a question on line," she said.
The virtual school has an on-line newspaper written by students, a science club and may soon have a social studies club. Some classes even arrange field trips where the students all agree to meet in a certain location to visit a museum, for example.
There are even Spanish and Latin classes that are taught on line. The student records his or her pronunciation and e-mails it to the teacher, who then listens to it and critiques it.
Adams said the advantages to the student of the Florida Virtual School are many. Students can take a class they found impossible to schedule at their traditional school. Earning an English credit, for example, through the Florida Virtual School could free a student's schedule up for band or art, etc.
Students can take a virtual class, like Latin, that is not offered in their traditional school. One big plus is that the virtual school offers a number of advanced placement courses that many schools - particularly small ones like Bradford High School - cannot offer.
Included are advanced placement courses in English literature, English language, biology, computer science, calculus, American government, American history, macroeconomics and art history.
Honors classes are also offered that will earn a student five grade points for an A instead of four.
The Florida Virtual School is open to every Florida high school student, whether that student is normally a public, private or home-school student. Non Florida students can enroll on a tuition basis.
The Florida Virtual School is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and credits earned through the virtual school do count toward high school graduation and are accepted by most colleges.
A high school student has to register via his or her full-time school's administration. The student then takes the course and if it is completed successfully, the credit is transmitted to the traditional school.
Other courses available include a number of language arts classes, chemistry, physics, marine biology, biology, computer programming and computer science, algebra, geometry, world history, economics, art history, personal fitness, life management skills, business technology, etc.
There are even some courses that are open to middle school students. For more information, log onto www.flvs.net, e-mail info@flvs.net or call 1-407-513-3587.
© Bradford County Telegraph 2003
