Dousman music teacher treks to Antarctica
The best teachers go to great lengths for their students; some might say to the ends of the earth. One music teacher took that saying quite literally and brought all her students along for the ride.
The Brief
- A music teacher from Dousman has quite a story to tell; lessons to share with her students.
- Lisa Werner recently trekked to Antarctica and traveled with a plastic, purple trombone.
- Werner uses her life experiences to bring lessons to her young students in small-town Wisconsin.
DOUSMAN, Wis. - The best teachers go to great lengths for their students; some might say to the ends of the earth. One music teacher took that saying quite literally and brought all her students along for the ride.
Mrs. Werner and her purple trombone
What we know:
Nestled into a corner of Lake Country, the larger world can feel a long way off. The Village of Dousman is small. St. Bruno Parish School, even smaller. Eight students make up the entire fourth grade. But there’s a lesson here in perspective, courtesy of Mrs. Lisa Werner.
Mrs. Werner is, ostensibly, the music teacher. But she is more like St. Bruno’s version of Ms. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus.
What they're saying:
"I love inspiring students to do things that they think that they can’t do," Werner said.
"She’s so fun and silly," said eighth grade student Nora Schulz. "And then she goes on all these cool trips."
"And we get to learn about that too," added fellow eighth grader Lizzie Ullman. "And she relates it to music, somehow."
Like the jazz Mrs. Werner loves to play, you never know exactly where she will end up.
Exploring new frontiers
The backstory:
Mrs. Werner is all about exploring new frontiers. How many musicians can say they played a purple trombone in zero gravity? She did that as part of the Teachers in Space program. She also explored the ocean’s depths onboard a NOAA research ship.
Lisa Werner
"Music has been a part of every moment in human history," she states. "And is a part of every human culture on the planet."
On this November day, Mrs. Werner was preparing – and packing – for her greatest adventure yet. She was selected for a Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship, flying to South America and then boarding a National Geographic/Lindblad Expeditions ship to explore the frozen lands of the southernmost continent.
And yes, there was room for the trombone.
"I don’t go anywhere without my trombone," Werner said. "And so I’m hoping that I will get to play this off the ship in Antarctica or somewhere."
Trip to Antarctica
Dig deeper:
During the two-week trip she was mesmerized by shades of blue and white.
"[I] Fell in love with ice," she states. "Which is a really silly thing for a Wisconsinite to say."
And she took students’ questions directly to the onboard experts. For example, how do penguins sleep?
Lisa Werner
"And he said that penguins sleep 15,000 times a day," Werner said. "Apparently they will go into REM sleep for three or five seconds, and then wake back up and be good to go. It’s just the most fascinating fact that I learned while I was there and it’s because a third grader had this question."
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Werner even landed the coolest gig of her career when she heard a couple on the ship was getting married.
Lisa Werner
"'Well, I got my trombone in my suitcase! So if you need somebody, let me know,’" Werner told them. "And they were like, ‘Yes! You’re hired.’ So I got to have my very first Antarctic wedding gig, which is pretty exciting to put on my resume," Werner said.
Turning trip into a lesson
What we know:
After all that came the challenge. How do you translate the trip of a lifetime into a lesson?
"It’s usually Thursdays are our Antarctica days," Werner explained.
Lisa Werner
Every week, Werner connects music theory to a place a world away. Students compared ocean waves to sound waves and painted watercolors inspired by Antarctic music. They even created their own songs to match the landscapes in her photos.
It’s safe to say, Mrs. Werner teaches to her own beat. Amidst all the fun, though, is that lesson in perspective.
What they're saying:
"Dousman, you’re right, is really a small place," Ullman said. "And when you kind of get to learn about the bigger world, it’s like, ‘Whoa.’ "
"It’s insane that she gets to go there," said sixth grader Leiahna Fowler. "And I don’t think I ever will."
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But that’s the point. Mrs. Werner believes the polar opposite – maybe you will.
Lisa Werner
"‘Oh, there’s no way they’re going to pick a music teacher from Wisconsin to go to Antarctica. No way,’" Werner scoffed. "But I did. I got picked, because I applied. If I would’ve counted myself out, I wouldn’t have gone at all."
With the right teacher, that larger world is a lot closer than you think.
Message to students
What you can do:
That message to students is the same for teachers – apply! You’ll never get those experiences if you don’t try. In fact, Mrs. Werner is already on her next adventure. She’s in Senegal this week as part of the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms program.
And yes, the purple trombone is along for the ride.
The Source: The information in this post was provided by Mrs. Werner and her students.
