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Awesome educators: Léane Koskela couldn’t be with her kindergarteners, so she made them ‘Mini Madames’

If you’re familiar with ‘Flat Stanley,’ the “Mini Madames’ are a similar concept

With the COVID-19 pandemic shuttering schools this spring, teachers have been thrown into an unfamiliar role — trying to teach their students at a distance.

We wanted to throw a spotlight on Greater Sudbury educators who have gone above and beyond the call of duty for their students in these unusual times, and perhaps shown a bit of creativity as they engage their students.

Sudbury.com asked readers for their nominations for local teachers who fit this bill, and one of the names we received was Valley View Public School kindergarten teacher Léane Koskela.

Koskela — along with teaching partner Megan Mott, a registered early childhood educator — created the “Mini Madames” for their students, or a paper version of themselves.

The idea is based on the Flat Stanley Project, where children create paper Flat Stanleys, and document the places Flat Stanley visits and the adventures he has.

“We have some amazing resources online through Facebook groups,” said Koskela. “This is an idea that came across my screen. I thought to myself ‘What an amazing way to have the kids kind of have a little part of us, and to try to do a little adventure with us.’”

Because she figured gas was cheaper than postage, Koskela and Mott personally delivered the “Mini Madames” to their students, all while respecting physical distancing, of course.

“It was just so memorable,” Koskela said. “I really believe in creating memories for these kids. They’re not going to remember my amazing math lessons. They’re going to remember that their madame came to visit them during this pandemic.”

So far, the Mini Madames have already had a few adventures, including one little boy who glued them to some foam blocks and took them for a hot tub soak.

While Koskela has been a teacher for 17 years, she said teaching kindergarten to 28 children over the internet has been a big challenge, to say the least.

“I’m an experienced teacher,” Koskela said. “Kindergarten is my jam. But I’ve never worked so hard in my life.

“It’s better this week. This week I feel I’ve gotten into a groove. But the initial three weeks at least, I was putting in 10- or 12-hour days, just trying to learn the technology myself, and then teach it to the families.

“That’s been my biggest struggle, is getting the technology to work. and get everyone on the same page. And then not being able to see the kids, because with technology, you can do little Google meets and stuff like that.

“But it’s hard to manage that when they’re in front of me, never mind when they’re on the other side of a screen.”

Koskela said one thing she’s found helpful is an age-appropriate online tool that allows the children to tell her how they’re feeling. If they’re experiencing negative emotions, then she’s able to further reach out to that child.

She said she’s touched that someone would nominate her to be featured on Sudbury.com as an awesome educator.

“I don’t feel that I’m doing anything special,” Koskela said. “I think this is my passion. This is part of my job. I truly believe you shouldn’t do any job unless you love it. I truly love this job.”

Do you know of an educator who has gone above and beyond for their students as learning moved mostly online during the pandemic? Send your nominations to [email protected]

Be sure to include their first and last name and where they work so we can get in touch with them.

Please note these educators could teach anything from daycare or kindergarten, to grade school, to high school, to college or university. 


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Heidi Ulrichsen

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