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Teacher Feature: Mrs. Booczko

3/24/2021

 
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This week we chatted with Annette Booczko, a Diverse Learner Support teacher who’s been at Waters for 12 years. She’s one of the most positive people we know and (seriously!) always has a smile on her face. 
 
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WT: You’ve been a Diverse Learner Support teacher for a few years now, but you’ve also had your own classroom. Can you tell us a little bit about your teaching history?
Ms. Booczko: After college, I spent a year teaching 2nd grade in the Milwaukee Public School system. Then I moved to Chicago to teach Spanish at Andrew Jackson Language Academy—a great experience, but my heart was just not in it. From there I went to Ruben Salazar Bilingual Center for 6 years, where I taught Kindergarten, 2nd, and 4th grades. After my first daughter was born, I spent 8 years teaching Kindergarten, 1st, and 3rd grades at Stockton Elementary in Uptown. During that time I had two more babies, so I took 3 years off to stay home with my kids. In 2009, I started at Waters! Since I’ve been here I’ve taught 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades, and now I work with our wonderful diverse learners! 

What do you love most about teaching at Waters?
Working with students is my favorite part of every teaching job I’ve had. They are what make every day unique!  


You’ve taught so many different grades! Do you have a favorite?
If I had to pick, I’d say 1st grade is the most rewarding as a teacher. There is so much growth at that age.


Speaking of growth, where did you grow up? 
I was born in Puerto Rico and lived there until I was 17. After graduating from high school, I took what is now a very popular “gap” year and went to France as an exchange student. From there I went there to college at Marquette University in Milwaukee. I’ve lived in Wisconsin or Illinois ever since, but home will forever be Puerto Rico.  

That’s quite the journey—did you always want to be a teacher? 
Actually I always wanted to be a sports reporter, but 1st semester freshman journalism class was not what I expected. Plan B had never even crossed my mind, but somehow I ended up in elementary education. Needless to say, some things are meant to be!
 
It’s been a crazy year, and you've spent a lot of time observing students in virtual classrooms. What’s your biggest takeaway?
Remote teaching has been an unbelievable experience, both positive and negative.  I probably shouldn’t admit this, but a year ago I barely knew how to navigate a Google Classroom! Figuring out things like Google Meets, Jamboards, and presenting my screen felt like deciphering a foreign language. My biggest takeaway is that nothing can replace the live, daily interactions with students.  

 
We’re sure there isn’t a parent or teacher who’d disagree with you. Do you have any advice for parents and caretakers who are concerned their kids will be "behind" after this year? 
These are unchartered waters for all of us. There have been success stories as well as some very challenging moments, and this pandemic has truly affected everyone. Someway, somehow, we are all behind—but we will find our way back to our new normal.

 
And what would you say to kids who feel like life is never going to go back to "normal"?
I’d say I agree—life is not going to go back to normal, it’s going to be better!  

 
There’s that trademark Ms. Booczko positivity! You are known for having such amazing classroom presence, both in person, of course, and also on screen—truly, there isn't a kid at Waters who doesn't know and love you. What's your secret?
It must be that I really, really, love teaching! I am very passionate about my job, take it very seriously, and enjoy what I do.


What else do you enjoy doing? How do you spend your time when you're not at school?
I enjoy watching just about every sport on TV—this includes cornhole and Spikeball tournaments, NASCAR, bass fishing, and curling. I also enjoy reading mysteries and cooking.

 
Wow, we didn’t even know televised cornhole tournaments existed! Is there anything your students would be surprised to learn about you?
Hmm, this is a good question because I think my former students know me pretty well.  What if I share what I think most of my students would prefer not to know about me: I’m a Packers fan!!!

 
Love that you just dropped that bomb—we have a feeling you’re going to hear about this one! Final question: When the world goes back to normal, so to speak, what's the first thing you'll do?
Without a doubt, a trip to Puerto Rico to see my parents is #1 on my list.  Most likely they will be the ones to travel to see all of their kids, but relaxing on a beach with them would be a welcome treat after this long year! 

 
A little R+R in Puerto Rico sounds amazing to us, too. Thank you Ms. Booczko!
 



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Big Night at Home Sponsorship Opportunities Available!

3/24/2021

 
Big Night, our annual fundraiser, is coming up on May 22nd!  This year, we have several sponsorship opportunities available. If you know a business (maybe a small business, or new company) looking for a bigger audience, we would love to work together to make this event like no other!

You can learn more and purchase a sponsorship by contacting sponsor@waterstoday.org.
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Community Mosaics

3/24/2021

 
Mosaic art is in progress on the pizza oven.  If you're interested in participating, please contact Rick Bolliger.
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Teacher Feature: Mr. Leki

3/1/2021

 
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This week, we’re featuring Pete Leki: the man, the myth, the legend. The Humboldt Park native launched Waters’ beloved Ecology program in 1994 and has been tirelessly guiding its growth—and our children’s love of nature—ever since. Today, parents, sponsors, and community members help keep the Ecology program alive through donations to WatersToday.
 
Waters Today: When you first brought ecology to Waters, did you ever imagine it would grow to something like this? 
Mr. Leki: Yes.
 
Given how passionate you are about it, we had a feeling you’d say that! How did it all come to be?
I started at Waters in 1991, as a parent. I was working shift work as a water plant operator for the City of Evanston. 1991 saw the advent of the first LSC's, and we withdrew our son Jamal from prestigious magnet school, and enrolled him at Waters, our low scoring, poverty racked, run down local school. (This story was published in "School Leadership in times of Urban Reform", Bizar, Blazer, Erlbaum Publishing, 2001, ppg 103-121). I chaired Council for 5 years. We were very underprepared for the awesome responsibilities we were given. But in 1992, our Principal retired and in the process of hiring a new one, we were introduced to the ideas of progressive education through colleagues from National-Louis University.  This revelation guided our choices through the next 20 years: the integration of the subject areas, de-emphasis on hi-stakes testing, narrative report cards, engaging the real world both inside and outside of school, engaging the parents as co-teachers, co-learners in our adventure in education.
During my last years in the water plant, I returned to college and finished an interdisciplinary degree in ecology, education and neighborhood studies. Shortly after, I was hired by NLU Center for City Schools to bring the "Parent Project" to our school network.
 
If you weren't at Waters—which is hard to imagine!—what do you think you'd be doing instead?
I might try to help form a community school like one we ran for 8 years when my youngest son was five: the Sunflower School. The parents were the teachers. (I taught music and math). There were 14 kids, all ages, and we always had 3 teachers. What a ratio! We were able to do all sorts of wonderful things that are very hard to do in a big system. We had no grades, and no homework, except to play and read. The kids thrived. 
 
That sounds amazing! Do any other places inspire the work that you do in Chicago? For example, are there other cities you've visited that have a deep respect for nature and have integrated it into the urban landscape?
Not really. I noticed that in Europe, cities and towns STOP. They have boundaries. They don't sprawl over the land as tawdry car dumps, and gas stations, and mini malls. The city ends and the country side begins. I don't know if it is still like that.
 
Speaking of other places, what are some of the best trips you've taken? I have made a decision not to fly for the past 25 years because of the environmental impacts. So most of the places I visited and loved have been very local. I like taking Metra and Amtrack, but wish they had windows that opened for fresh air. I wish I could fly on my own wings (or broom!)  I also have dreamed that there could be public transport on Lake Michigan via sailboat! Imagine boarding downtown or at Montrose Harbor to go over to New Buffalo, or Muskeegon, or to Mackinaw City! Or north to Milwaukee and Door County. Imagine sails billowing with wind power, a bunk, a galley to dine on fish caught over the rail on the boat, ecology lectures, music, star gazing at night.  The same with the Chicago River. Imagine tours through the canals to the Des Plaines and Illinois, with stops at all the old river towns, with their charming hotels and restaurants, and beleaguered history. It is true that the world is full of indescribable beauty, and it is important, especially for young people, to experience its majesty, so that they will be inspired to work for its survival.
 
The earth is in trouble; we know that, and our children will someday bear the weight of our generation's (and previous generation's) failures. Do you feel hopeful? 
I feel like apologizing for leaving a world in worse shape than I found it. I think that we have to teach and practice critical thinking about the very foundational belief of capitalism: unending growth, extraction and exploitation of our world and its treasures. I'm encouraged that young people tend to be open minded and justice oriented. 
 
And then there’s the technology piece of the puzzle. What is your advice to parents who feel overwhelmed by the amount of technology their kids are exposed to?
I will tell you what Jerry "the Iceman" Butler told me: "I don't give advice. Everybody wants to give it. Nobody wants to take it!"  Still, maybe I would say to lure your children away from the screen by flooding them with the beauty and power of Nature, music, friends, play, dance, food and sleep.
 
Flooding them with nature sounds like a great plan. To that end, if families want to get more involved with the Ecology program when the pandemic is over, so to speak, where can parents sign up to volunteer?
On the ecology volunteers list at watersecology.org. Parents are an essential part of the Ecology programs—they are asked to lead, to learn, to explore and journal and discover with us at every grade level!

What would your students be surprised to learn about you?
·      That my mother was taken by the Nazis to a Labor camp when she was 14. 
·      That I played piano in a soul band called The New Society.
·      That I worked in the copper mines of Arizona as a millwright, was an officer in the Steelworkers Union, and went through two hard strikes during my seven years there.
 
Wow—no wonder you have so many interesting stories! Let’s end on a positive note: What is your happy place? 
The Lake. It is a deep and powerful place, full of mystery. 
 
Thank you so much, Mr. Leki! We can’t wait to see you in the garden when we’re all back together.

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Do you miss planning events? Big Night Needs You!

3/1/2021

 
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Mark your calendars for Waters annual event, Big Night (at Home) on May 22nd! This year our committee is working to make your at-home party just as fun as our in person event.   We are looking for a few volunteers in the following areas: 

-Soliciting donations for the Silent Auction & Raffles
-Organizing our popular Parent & Teacher Parties
-Filming and producing our Virtual Program 

If you are interested in getting involved, meeting new parents, and helping raise funds for our school, we would love to talk! Reach out to our Auction Team or our Big Night Chairs for more information.  

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