Woodland Woman Turns To Virtual Classroom To Continue Teaching

WOODLAND (CBS13) - A teacher who was laid off found a new way to continue her career by teaching online.

A Woodland husband and wife were laid off at the same time just as they had a baby, but Kali Slusser found a way to continue teaching from home.

Surrounded by the comforts of home Kalli goes to school. In this classroom, a smiley face replaces a raised hand.

"Good afternoon friends," she says. "If you can hear me give me a smiley face. OK, lets get started in our reading lesson."

Without ever putting a face to their voice, Kali teaches kids in grades K-8 as their reading specialist.

"I get to balance being a mom with being a teacher," she says. "I get to keep my identity of being a teacher."

Three years ago Kali and her husband lost that identity. New to the district, they both received pink slips.

"We both got jobs in Woodland," she says. "We both got laid off of course it was a very scary moment. We had a baby and we both don't have jobs."

Desperate for work, Kali went online. And apparently so do more than 14,000 students in California who learn in virtual classrooms.

"Maybe they feel like their school near home is not going to be safe," she says. "Some students have health issues."

While Kali now works for the California Virtual Academy, her husband is back to putting on a tie to teach back in a classroom.

Kali misses seeing her students face to face, she's grateful to be with her own.

"I teach two hours in the morning, two hours in the afternoon, so I have time in the middle to play with the kids," she says.

That's been a blessing that she can stay home and take care of the kids," her husband, Greg, says.

Saving on day care, getting paid to teach, sometimes even in her PJs with her class just few clicks away.