Plymouth Magazine, October 2006

Get connected

Stephanie Hoffman has the hook up

by Kelly Westhoff

Plymouth resident Stephanie Hoffman is a high school English teacher, but her daily routine may surprise a few. Her day is not spent at the front of a classroom. She doesn't use a white board or transparencies. Rather, as a virtual teacher, a computer is her main mode of communication with her students. Yet contrary to many stereotypes about online learning, Hoffman doesn't spend her entire workday in front of a computer. Neither do her students. “I don't teach independent study,” Hoffman says. “This really is a three-way effort—the teacher, the parent and the student.”

Hoffman teaches at MTS Minnesota Connections Academy (MTSMCA), a program of Minnesota Transitions School. While MTSMCA is a virtual school, it's also a real place. Hoffman goes to work each day in a Minneapolis office building. Once there, she interacts with other MTSMCA teachers. She attends staff meetings led by the school principal, updates the guidance counselor about student concerns and calls parents to discuss student progress.

MTSMCA is also a public charter school, meaning it is a tuition-free school open to any Minnesota student. Teachers are fully licensed; they follow curriculum guidelines. Students download daily lessons from the computer then work from standard textbooks at home. “I supply the lesson, but the parent has to be there to deliver instruction,” Hoffman says. “This is not just putting your kid in front of a computer and going to work.” Students in the MTSMCA program must also take and pass the state's required tests in reading, writing and math.

The remainder of this article can be found in the October 2006 issue of Plymouth Magazine.

Visit MTS Minnesota Connections Academy at www.connectionsacademy.com.

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