Liberia RPCV Bill Fasulo keeps the dream alive in face of Columbia tragedy
Read and comment on this story from the Mansfield News on Liberia RPCV Bill Fasulo, a fifth-grade teacher at Plainville's Wood School, who strives to share his passion for discovery, for pushing the frontiers of knowledge, with his students. Fasulo is, of course, saddened and shaken by what happened to the seven astronauts aboard Columbia. That goes without saying. But he, like many others, feels that letting the incident ground humans on the earth would be a denial of the human spirit and of the passion that pushed the astronauts themselves to pursue space and the discoveries that await there.
For now, the teacher who spent two years of his early career in the Peace Corps teaching in Liberia, Africa, has his sight set on the possibilities of space. "Now I've got to accomplish the other Kennedy thing. First it was the Peace Corps, not it's the space program," says Fasulo with a grin. Read the story at:
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Teacher keeps the dream alive in face of Columbia tragedy
By Heather Mccarron / Staff Writer
Friday, February 7, 2003
Bring up the subject of space exploration with Bill Fasulo and instantly his eyes light up like stars.
He's been like that since John Glenn first ventured into orbit in Friendship VII in 1962. Maybe even longer.
"I've just always been interested in it," says Fasulo with a light shrug, perhaps a little frustrated that he can't quite translate his passion for space - so evident in the twinkle in his eyes - into adequate words. "As a young person, I also did a lot of reading in science fiction, so I guess I was always thrilled by the idea."
A fifth-grade teacher at Plainville's Wood School, Fasulo strives to share that passion for discovery, for pushing the frontiers of knowledge, with his students.
Fasulo, who is an assistant football coach in Mansfield, also dreams of perhaps one day pushing a frontier - space - himself. In person.
Before the tragic loss of the Columbia orbiter and its crew last weekend, Fasulo was making plans to apply for NASA's newly-reinstituted "Educator in Space" program.
He still is.
"I'd still do it," says the teacher of 28 years. "That's the spirit of adventure in me. And I'll regret it if I don't try. I think it's important that we go on."
Fasulo is, of course, saddened and shaken by what happened to the seven astronauts aboard Columbia. That goes without saying. But he, like many others, feels that letting the incident ground humans on the earth would be a denial of the human spirit and of the passion that pushed the astronauts themselves to pursue space and the discoveries that await there.
"Definitely, the space program has got to continue," says Fasulo. "Where would the explorers be, where would the Wright brothers be - where would we be - if they didn't (push the frontiers)?"
Along with his other prized space memorabilia - including a John Glenn pin his aunt gave him after the pioneer's three orbits around the earth - Fasulo has a photograph of a shuttle just after launch, heading toward space. It's protected inside a plastic sleeve and has a small note taped to the top: "My Dream."
Fasulo shows the photo with a wide grin and that unmistakable sparkle in his eyes.
This teacher's lofty goal this week won him moments of fame as his thoughts about the tragedy - and his determination to continue on in the face of tragedy - were featured on the front page of both the Milford Daily News and the Metrowest Daily News, and in the reports of three news crews, from channels 4, 5, and 6, who visited the school on Monday to interview him .
The big question that was asked by all, including students; "Aren't you afraid?"
"I'd be a foolish man if I wasn't afraid," Fasulo readily admits. "But we have to pick up and continue. I do think NASA is thoroughly going to have to figure out what went wrong. And then move forward."
The Challenger tragedy was, of course, also a difficult time for Fasulo. But then, as now, he remained stalwart in the opinion that the program must go on, both in tribute to those who have gone and as an obligation to the future.
Looking at the big picture, he notes, the space program really has "the best track record, even with these tragedies." Fasulo has faith that the problems will be worked out with diligence, that the program will become that much more safe, and that people will continue to want to push outward from the earth.
Perhaps even to other planets.
"I may not be able to go to another planet myself, but I like to think the kids I'm teaching could go," Fasulo says.
It's not the first time Fasulo has thought about trying to get into the astronaut corps as an educator, trained for a chance to go into space as a mission specialist.
He applied for the teacher in space program back in 1985, too, when Christa McAuliffe was selected to go.
"It is an opportunity that you can't not do," says a determined Fasulo, who sometimes sports a tie with a space shuttle on it.
Right now, he says, his big goal is to get an interview with the "Educator in Space" program's selection board.
"I'm just focusing right now on being one of their candidates. I want to be interviewed," Fasulo says.
Teachers who are chosen for the new program, which was only recently announced by NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe, go to Houston to train with the rest of the astronauts and eventually get assigned to a mission.
Fasulo dreams of having that chance to see the earth from space, to conduct orbital scientific inquiries - perhaps in his other passion, meteorology - and then to come back to earth to share his experience with his students.
"I want to inspire them," he says. "Just to have an opportunity to do something that very few people have done, just to feel I could do something like that and be able to share it with younger people and broaden their horizons."
Fasulo already strives to inspire awe in his students. He says "they're really enthusiastic" about their current science studies. They're preparing for their own mission at the Christa McAuliffe Challenger Learning Center at Framingham State College, where they will participate in a mock exploration of a comet. The mission is scheduled for March.
As a teacher, besides of dreaming of pushing a frontier himself, Fasulo has a track record of pushing the frontiers of learning in his classroom.
His class was the first from Plainville to go to the Challenger Center in 1996 - a pilot program that Fasulo pushed for and that has now become a permanent part of the fifth-grade school year.
He also was among the Plainville teachers who first brought innovations in math and science learning through the so-called PALMS program to the students several years ago.
"I helped write the PALMS grant here and I was a teacher leader," Fasulo says. "I've been doing math and science for many years."
The teacher has also consulted with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on instructional lessons they were developing for students, and continues to be on their list as a consultant if his advice is needed on future JPL curricula.
"Basically they want to know what I think of the lessons, see how they meet national standards in science and how they meet our standards in this state," Fasulo explains. "They knew I was interested in helping so I spent one weekend looking over their materials. I've told them I'll help whenever they need me."
Fasulo is certified, as well, to borrow pieces of lunar rock and meteorites from NASA if he ever wanted to use them as a tool in his lessons.
Of course, he says, he has to plan far in advance, since obtaining any of the precious materials requires a formal request process, likely being put on a waiting list of up to a year or more, and then being able to ensure that the materials will be kept secure.
He hasn't tried it yet, though he doesn't rule out the possibility. But that shouldn't come as a surprise, since Fasulo is such a believer in possibilities.
For now, the teacher who spent two years of his early career in the Peace Corps teaching in Liberia, Africa, he has his sight set on the possibilities of space.
"Now I've got to accomplish the other Kennedy thing. First it was the Peace Corps, not it's the space program," says Fasulo with a grin.
He plans to spend February vacation putting together his application for the Educator in Space program.
"It looks pretty intensive and I believe it's going to be three to five people chosen nationally, so the competition is going to be stiff," he says.
On the question of whether last weekend's tragedy will have an impact on the program, Fasulo can't say for sure. But he's hopeful that the spirit and passion of the astronauts who died will prevail and that the programs will prevail as well.
"It might delay it," Fasulo says, then adds after a brief pause, "but I can wait." Click on a link below for more stories on PCOL
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