New Milestones Reached.

Hello Troops,
I begin by apologising for my absence from the Blogosphere. It was not of my doing. I blame my working conditions. I may have a case to take to the Department of Labor.
Each and every day teachers, like myself, toil in the muck of bacteria and viruses. We are surrounded by droplets of infected spittle every time we enter a classroom or bend down to answer a question. For example, little Johnny raised his hand. I, being a diligent educator, rushed to his side.
"Mr. Williamson, I don't understand why this should be a negative number. I know what I'm suppose to do when we subtract with a negative and I tried that with this problem but I think this problem is one of the exceptions to the rule - you know how that works in English. There are exceptions to every rule and I think I found one in math and if I did then I think I should get some kind of extra credit or something."
Of course it is said with one breath as one long run on sentence.
"Johnny, Math and English are different," I answer and then continue with reasons. "It should be a negative number for multiple reasons. Give me a second to think of a way to show you so you can understand."
This is a teacher's way of saying "You're really struggling to get those hamsters to spin that upstairs wheel so how can I translate what I'm saying into one syllable words and pictures so you grasp some meaning".
While I searched my vocabulary for words used by today's youth, Johnny mounted a full scale attack on my immune system. He sneezed. Johnny, like so many other children, finds loud siren sneezes funny. Of course we all know that you can't achieve that kind of sound by covering your mouth and Johnny did not cover his mouth.
I sounded the retreat but it was too late. I felt moisture on my face. A biblical plague was upon my house!

To make a long story short - I've been sick with a very bad cold for the last week. I think I hit bottom yesterday. I like it when I hit bottom and start to feel shades of normal again. I'm considering investing in one of the Department of Homeland Security's Hazmat suits to wear to school. Ah, the good life of living in a bubble.

Let's get to the news.
We are setting new flight records! Here are the numbers:

Voyager: Last year's all time flight record: 490 missions. Today the Voyager hit 490 missions for the current year and we have one month to go before our Space Center year ends.

Galileo: Last year's flight numbers: 188 missions. Today the Galileo hit 235 missions for the current year and we have one month to go before our Space Center year ends.

Magellan: Last year's all time flight record: 212 missions. Today the Magellan hit 207 missions for the current year and we have one month to go before our Space Center year ends.

Phoenix: Last year's all time flight numbers: 400 missions. Today the Phoenix hit 401 missions for the current year and we have one month to go before our Space Center year ends.

Odyssey: Last year's all time record flight numbers: 624 missions. Today the Odyssey hit 588 missions for the current year. We will easily exceed that record before the Space Center's year ends on November 8th.

Well Troops, we are busy. The numbers speak for themselves. A special thanks to our staff for the extra effort and a very special thanks to our guests for spending their time and their money with us. Your support keeps us open.

Mr. Williamson

The First Week is Finished

Hello Troops,
The week is finished. We are fast falling into the ‘groove’. This is the term we use to describe the condition of knowing our lesson, starlab show, and missions so well that we don’t need scripts. It is being in a condition where we run our field trips by instinct. Being in the groove is a good thing. In the simulators it means we are free from the script and able to concentrate on the crew. We can tailor a mission to the crew - highlighting their strengths and deemphasing their weaknesses. We can watch the cameras to find students that need more attention and those that need a bit of discipline. The Groove means we can move through a mission quicker if needed. Sometimes they arrived late or their bus needs to get back earlier than 2:00 P.M.
This year I’m giving schools a mission choice. They can choose their mission from our mission library listed on the Field Trip page of the web site. It empowers a teacher to find a mission that meets the needs of her class. Mission choice helps me as well by giving me variety. In years past we used to run one mission for the entire 9 months. Now we will rotating through four missions. Variety is another good thing.
We ran “Intolerance” on Monday. “The Children of Perikoi” was the mission choice for the Tuesday and Wednesday classes. On Thursday we ran “A Cry From the Dark” and on Friday it was “Perikoi” once again.
We have an awesome daytime staff! Lorraine Houston and Sheila Powell run the classroom and Starlab. In the ships we have myself, Megan, Metta, Emily, BJ, and Aleta. Aleta also runs the office on days where we don’t need her in the simulators. Our high school interns are outstanding: Chrisine, Rachel, Alayna, Kyler, Todd, Rebecca and Zac. Some days we have so much help we can operate the simulator with a doctor character. This kind of help also provides an opportunity to train new flight directors and supervisors.
All and all, this year is off to a good start.
We have been busy with several minor repairs in the simulators. Kyle Herring repaired the Odyssey’s door. The large hole in the Voyager bathroom was fixed. The Voyager’s new carpeting is in place. Currently new tile is being laid in the Voyager’s Brig, Bridge, and steps leading to the Projection Room.
I want to thank our staff and volunteers for their hard work and dedication to our product. We want to deliver the best field trip in Utah to our children. I think we are doing that. We’ve set our standards high because our kids deserve it and we can do it.

Mr. Williamson

The Space Center and Disney. More Reflections.

Hello Troops,
The following comments came by email from a former fantastic Space Center Flight Director named Julie Billings. Julie was once a Disneyland employee and has a unique insight into all things Disney and Space Center. Thanks Julie for your thoughts.

Mr. Williamson

And Now Julie's Comments:
Quick response to Mr. Williamson's blog:

He is absolutely right. It is something Disney has striven to do since it opened. But being attractions instead of simulations makes it difficult. Not to mention the workload of up to 80,000 people a day. Just recently Disney has been able to get out of the repetitive rut with newer more innovative rides, such as the new Tower of Terror with a random selection of drops, Buzz Lightyear with a way to interact, and their newest Toy Story Mania with a 'never the same ride twice' feel to it. At Disney World they have what is called Disney Quest where you can design your own roller coaster and ride it, at an extra price. But never will it be up to what the Space Center can achieve. At the Space Center you are completely immersed in the story for hours at a time. As repetitive a mission can get as a Flight Director, there was always a change based on the creative (or uncreative) children inside.

I remember on my 16th birthday an overnight mission was canceled and Mr. Williamson let what staff who wanted to come do an overnight mission instead. I jumped at the opportunity, birthday or not, and I had a friend who got mad at me because I skipped out on the Mountain View football game. I remember telling her, "I would have rather done what I did then go to Disneyland!" After the words left my mouth I couldn't believe such blasphemy, but it was true.

Now, that being said I love Disneyland and most things Disney. I hope my kids share this love of Disney and love to go to Disneyland. Right now I think I would rather go to Disneyland than anything. But at that age of 16 and before, the Space Center does something to you that nothing else can. And it truly is "Better than Disneyland."