The New Freshman Class
When we hear the word freshman, we usually think of the ninth grade class, but most forget the other freshmen: the new educators on campus. The school is fortunate this year to welcome seven new teachers, each from different departments: English, science, music, art, world languages, math, and social science. The teachers, in their own words, share why they chose to come to the school, why their classes are important to the students, and some of their personal goals for the year.
As we embark on the new school year, the campus welcomes a new batch of departmentally diverse teachers. They have varying levels of experiences – some having started their careers here while others transferred from other sites or districts. Although many of the teachers have different reasons for coming to the school, new choir Roxanne Hopkins teacher comments on why she decided to comments on why she decided to come.
“[The school’s] reputation and the camaraderie between the students and the good relationship that the teachers and students have together,” said Hopkins.
Many of the new teachers want to incorporate their own teaching styles and curriculums into their classrooms this year. They also spoke about their goals for their individual subjects. As new physics and physical science teacher, Woody Smith said, “I have to give the opportunities for my students to make discoveries and find the joy of doing something that you normally wouldn’t do by yourself.”
New Spanish teacher, Kim Fowler, said she looks forward to teaching her students that everything they learn in class can be applied outside of school if they continue to work hard and understand the material discussed in class.
Former student teacher at the school and new English teacher Sarah Goodman said she enjoys getting to know the students for who they really are.
“I know there’s the perception that we get a thrill out of challenging someone to the point where they can’t do what we’re asking of them and that’s not the truth. We’re not just dealing with books or writing – we’re dealing with actual students who have complex histories,” said Goodman.
In addition to these teachers, we have three other new teachers at the school, including art and photography teacher Mary Grehan, math teacher James Ferguson, and social science teacher Josh Hunt, who all share a passion for teaching and hope to integrate their unique approaches for their respective classes in this school year and the years to come.
