(upbeat music) - The assistant commissioner has an envelope with gold writing and the name on it.

May I have the envelope please?

(audience applauds) The Milken Educator Award goes to Virginia Fasulo!

(audience cheers and applauds) (audience cheers and applause continues) - There she is, Virginia Fasulo.

She is also a Milken Educator awardee high school teacher in Lodi, New Jersey.

Virginia, you just got 25 grand with this Milken Award.

We just saw the video of you, by the way, again, just the same thing with Taylor, you had no idea.

- No idea.

- What did you think you were there for?

- So they had told us that the state was going to be coming to basically congratulate us.

- The state.

- Yes, the state, very vague.

Basically to congratulate us on having been named in the top third of the high schools in New Jersey, which, you know, that's very exciting.

So they had told me to prepare my classroom so that I could lead the state dignitaries around and show them what, you know, the cool stuff that we're doing.

So I had no idea what was going on, it was a total shock.

And really, no one but my superintendent had any idea what was going on.

So it was a very exciting day, a huge surprise.

- Everyone kept it from you?

- Yes, actually, my superintendent kept it from everyone.

Even the other administrators didn't know what was going on.

So everybody was surprised, it was very exciting.

- It's hard to keep a secret in New Jersey.

- Very.

- And we'll show in a little bit, you made the call, and you made the call to your mom?

- Yes, I did.

- Yeah, we're gonna show that in a second.

So tell folks about your winding road into the classroom, please.

- Sure, so I did call my mother because she was actually a teacher herself for 40 years.

She was a cooking and home economics teacher, so she was very excited to hear from me.

Neither one of us ever thought I would become a teacher.

So my original plan was medicine, I had always been interested in, especially veterinary medicine.

So I had planned to go to school for that.

I went to SUNY Albany for undergrad and during that time I sort of got interested in human medicine.

I started to ride with Five Quad Ambulance and it just sort of, both of those things, the marriage of the veterinary world and the human world led me to public health.

So originally my plan was to get my master's in public health and become an epidemiologist and study zoonotic disease, which is animal disease that could be passed to humans and vice versa.

So it was during that time that I was actually diagnosed with cancer.

I got non-Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis at the age of 23, so that was a shock and it came a month after my father's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis, so quite a year for the Fasulo family there.

We're both good, thank God, but that changed my trajectory entirely.

So I had originally, like I said, planned to go into medicine.

I started to work with patients at the American Cancer Society.

I was doing a little bit of patient outreach and education, just informing them about their own diagnosis and what the resources were for them.

And that changed everything, I found that I actually really loved teaching.

At the time, I was avoiding it because it was my mother's career, I thought I had my own thing going on.

It turns out that is my thing, it's in my blood, I suppose.

So during that time I decided maybe it's time to go back, get a second master's degree in education, and I wound up here in Lodi.

So I've been here for nine years now teaching.

- But you know, it's not an accident that you win the Milken Educator Award.

Your approach, everything I've read about you, everything I've heard about you, what our producers told me is that your approach to educational and to instruction is unique.

Describe it.

- Sure, well, I hope it is.

I think that it is, my students seem to enjoy it.

My approach is a hands-on, very focused on career and technical education in medicine.

So we have behind me, my lovely biomedical sciences lab.

We have the coolest stuff.

So my approach is to integrate just basic learning with hands-on labs.

So we do a lot of hands-on and that's all things that I wish I had had.

- Like what?

Help us understand.

Give us a couple examples of what goes on in the space.

- Sure.

So we have in the back here, we actually have a working hospital wing.

So it's two different hospital rooms, including the curtains that you could pull with working lab beds.

We have our training mannequins in those beds.

So those are mannequins that I can control using a tablet and I can set up all kinds of scenarios for the students to work through.

We have a phlebotomy lab where we're actually learning how to take blood with model arms where I could actually put fake blood inside the model arms so the students are able to really use their hands and experience things in the field that took me years to actually be able to do myself, so I love that I get to bring this to them so early in their high school career.

- What kind of reaction have you gotten from most of your students?

- Just absolute fascination.

This generation, they're really, really good with the technology, they were born into it.

So we have, I mean, we have augmented reality goggles.

These kids are excited about it.

It's something that... - What, what, what?

(Steve sputters) You couldn't just say that.

I don't even know what you just said.

Something about goggles, what?

- Yeah, so we have three models of the HoloLens 2, which basically provide the students with the ability to look inside the human body.

So we overlay the hologram over the actual mannequin and the students can look inside the body.

We can run through multiple scenarios with that.

So you should see them, they feel like Tony, you know, they feel like Iron Man basically.

- Who were you gonna say, who were you gonna say?

- I was gonna say Tony Stark, but that's his... - I knew you were going to.

(Steve and Virginia laugh) - His secret identity, I suppose.

- Okay, yeah, I know.

- But yeah, they love it.

- Go ahead, I'm sorry.

- For sure, for sure.

- Well, before we do the video with your mom, I'm curious about something.

So the argument is everybody's obsessed by their technology and we are, right?

How the heck do you keep your students engaged, interested, and off this?

- So it is always a challenge in every way that I can, I want to teach them how to use that tool, which is what it is, it's a resource.

So I don't ban it, I think that when we ban things entirely, it causes fascination.

So it's like almost like they want it more if I say no.

So if I can get them to look things up, if I can get them to use tools on it to teach them how to use it in a productive way, then they don't feel like they really need to reach for it.

I also try to keep things really active in the classroom.

So we have about five minutes per activity and then we switch it up, right?

- Keep it moving?

- So we have kids in stations all the time.

Bell to bell, you got to keep them busy, absolutely.

- You know what?

I also know that you used a phone, your phone, to make an important call, a call to your mom.

You want to check this video out?

Elvin, we ready to do it?

I want Virginia to see it.

She's seen it many times before, but she's gonna see it again.

- [Virginia's Mom] Hello?

- Hi mom, you're on speaker phone.

We're being recorded.

I wanted to let you know that I won the Milken Educator Award.

- [Virginia's Mom] Oh my gosh.

(Virginia laughs) That is the most amazing news.

- I'm very speechless, this is very unexpected.

- [Virginia's Mom] Oh my god.

Hold on, can you repeat that for daddy?

- Hi dad, it's me, I won the Milken Educator Award.

- [Virginia's Dad] Wow.

- Yeah, so we're on speakerphone.

There's a lot of people here listening to us.

We're being recorded, but it's very exciting.

So I just wanted to let you guys know what was going on.

- Thank you so much.

- That's cool, I love you so much.

- Mom, I won $25,000.

(Virginia's parents laugh) (group laughs) - [Virginia's Dad] Holy smokes!

- Yeah, so it was kind of a big deal, I have a lot to tell you.

(laughs) - [Virginia's Mom] My god, call us later, honey.

- Okay, I will.

I love you.

- Love you too.

- Thanks, mom.

- [Colleague] Oh my goodness, it's the best.

- Well, thank you guys.

(group applauds) My mom, she was a teacher for 40 years, so this is very, I followed in her footsteps and she is best teacher, so wow.

- Wow.

- Did you see me shaking?

- By the way, I found it fascinating at the last minute was like, "Yeah, by the way, I won 25 grand."

(Virginia laughs) - Actually, one of the other awardees was there in the background saying, "Tell her how much you won."

(Steve laughs) - Yeah.

- I was very overwhelmed.

- Amazing.

I can't imagine for your mom, given her background, what this meant to her.

What'd she tell you after?

That she didn't tell you when you were live on the phone?

- She was over the moon.

She had to tell me how she had to wrangle my father to keep him from being very, in the background.

But they were both extremely excited and very proud.

They called my brother immediately and they were just on the phone with everybody.

She was very excited, but she's very proud.

I think she was a little worried about me going into teaching.

She was on her way out when I was on my way in, and she was telling me how much it had changed over the years.

So I think she's just really happy to see how much I love it here and how happy I've been in my career.

And now to see me, it's very validating, you know?

It's something that feels really good to be recognized, especially because it sometimes feels like we don't get recognized very often.

There's so many other teachers in this school that are just phenomenal.

So it was very gratifying for me personally, and I think my mother too.

- Virginia, I want to follow up on that last point.

So we have a series that's simply called "Who Will Teach Our Children?"

Who do you believe, given all the challenges in the teaching profession, and the burnout, and post-COVID, who do you believe will teach, other than you and other than Taylor, who will teach our children?

- Well, we have to make it more appealing to the younger generation that's coming up because I think a lot of them have seen what's been going on and have really chosen a different path, but I do think that we'll come back to it.

I think that this is something that's a temporary hiccup.

I do believe that we are going to fix these problems.

I mean, now that they are really in the light, I think that that gives us a chance to kind of work through them and figure out where these holdups are.

And I think they're becoming pretty obvious what the holdups are.

So I do think, hopefully, they will see what we're doing and all these different things that we are bringing to the table and want to join.

I mean, I hope this is something that will inspire other people to want to become educators because it really, you know, when you ignore all the other challenges, teaching the students, it really is the greatest joy of my life.

And that's not an exaggeration.

It's such a wonderful experience to be able to get to know these young people, and see what they're capable of, and how they grow, and how excited they are to learn when you make it exciting.

You know what I mean?

Like, it does require that.

So hopefully we will inspire some new people to come in.

It is a real challenge.

I mean, everywhere is short teachers, people are picking up the slack, which is making it harder on us who are left behind.

So it definitely has its challenges, but I do think now that those challenges have become more obvious, you know, thanks to COVID in large part, hopefully we'll be able to patch up those holes and get more people on board.

But it is definitely a problem.

- You know, Virginia, I have this crazy idea that you just inspired some folks right now.

Not just to consider the profession, but for those of us who are parents and who have had our kids go through public schools, to remind us how blessed and fortunate we are to have educators like you and like Taylor, whether you win an award or not, but congratulations on the 25 grand with the Milken Educator Award.

Virginia Fasulo.

A great teacher, a great leader.

Thank you, Virginia.

Appreciate it.

- Thank you so much.

What an honor.

- I'm Steve Adubato.

Virginia and Taylor, two great teachers that have 25 grand now.

We'll see you next time.

(Steve clapping) - [Narrator] One-On-One with Steve Adubato is a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Celebrating 30 years in public broadcasting.

Funding has been provided by The New Jersey Education Association.

Rowan University.

New Jersey Sharing Network.

NJ Best, New Jersey’s five-two-nine college savings plan.

Wells Fargo.

RWJBarnabas Health.

Let’s be healthy together.

The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey.

NJM Insurance Group.

And by The Fidelco Group.

Promotional support provided by NJ.Biz.

And by New Jersey Monthly.

- (Narrator) New Jersey is home to the best public schools in the nation, and that didn't happen by accident.

It's the result of parents, educators and communities working together year after year to give our students a world class education.

No matter the challenge, because parents and educators know that with a shared commitment to our public schools, our children can learn, grow and thrive.

And together, we can keep New Jersey's public schools the best in the nation.