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School counselor Vicky Secrist always wondered what the backside of a McDonald's counter looked like.

She found out Tuesday night as she punched in orders to raise money for her school - Cumberland Road Elementary.

From 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, educators from four local schools worked at area McDonald's restaurants as part of the annual McTeacher's Night fundraiser. A portion of the sales is donated to the school.

Teachers, counselors and even the Cumberland Road school principal greeted customers, disinfected trays and prepared cold drinks during half-hour to hour-long shifts.

"Where am I?," Secrist asked McDonald's employee Tierra Warren as she searched for a button while punching in an order. "Cheeseburger?"

School personnel were paired with McDonald's employees, who taught them how to take orders from the two-lane drive-thru, make a vanilla shake and work the fry machine.

"We want them to be comfortable," said K.J. Hurban, who trains managers for McDonald's.

Dressed in matching black aprons, the educators waived to their students and smiled for Seanpatrick Donnelly, a picture-taking parent.

Tina Plummer, a first-grade teacher who worked the drive-thru, couldn't wait to see her students, she said.

"It's got to be weird seeing their teacher back there," Plummer said. "Even at the supermarket it's kind of weird. When they are in first grade, they think you live there because you are there when they get there and you are there when they leave."

The school has taken part in the fundraiser three times at the restaurant on Owen Drive, said store manager Jennifer Weitershausen.

The Jones family - Clara, a sophomore at Douglas Byrd, Paul, a kindergartner at Cumberland Road, grandmother Donna Bates and nephew Shane Conroy, a fourth grader at Cumberland Road - bought food for the fundraiser for the past two years. The image of a teacher behind the counter has stuck with Paul Jones, his family said.

"When he goes through the drive-thru, he wants to know if his teacher is in there," Jones' grandmother said.

Principal Michele Cain said money from the fundraiser would be used to buy instructional materials for the classroom.

"Last year we got over $500 for our school," she said "That is a lot of money."

The fundraiser also helped reinforce civics lessons and encourage volunteerism, teachers said.

"For them to see that we are willing to do something to raise funds, shows them that we are willing to go the extra mile," said fourth-grade teacher Andrea Hildel-Reyes.