First Impressions of My New School

Last night, I had the opportunity to visit my new school and meet the administration, other new teachers, and a few of my teammates. Overall, it was a very good use of a Monday night (and a Cinco de Mayo, at that).

Here are a few highlights of my night:

1. I met the administration. My principal and assistant principals (all 7 of them) presented a PowerPoint overview of the school and the county’s many policies. I met the AP I will work directly under (she’s in charge of the Language Arts cirriculum) and the 7th grade AP (in charge of discipline). I am psyched to be working with 7th grade AP, because he’s the main reason I sent the school my resume. I had a lenghty conversation with him in November about the school, and I left wishing I could work with him.

2. I met some other new teachers. And I felt better, because they were just as excited and scared as I was. There are 4 other brand new teachers on the scene, 6 transfers from within the county, and a few from out of state (I didn’t get to meet them). I was comforted by the low number of new teachers to the school, because that means the teachers that have been there don’t want to leave. I want to work in an enviornment where I don’t want to leave.

3. I met 2 of my teammates. Miss History and Mrs. Science acted as a wonderful welcoming committee last night. They met me as I came into the school, and we had a few minutes to just get to know each other. Ms. Math couldn’t be there, but the teammates said she’s wonderful, too. I got wonderful first impressions from both of them. I used the word “Wonderful” three times here. Someone get me a thesaurus!

4. I got to see my classroom. I was told by teachers passing by that I have prime real estate in the school. My classroom is about 50 feet from one of the front doors, across the hall from a teachers’ bathroom, across the hall from the 7th grade AP’s office, and a hallway down from the media center. It’s a decent size with a mounted LCD projector (!!!), and it adjoins Miss History’s class and Mrs. Science’s class. Mrs. Science said the students on the team do internal class changes, so students will never be in the hallways duing class times. I foresee a lot less drama with students not in the halls.

5. I got lost in the school. Ok, this school is seriously huge. I am so lucky my classroom is at the front of the school and only 2 left turns from the front office. 7th grade AP saw me furiously studying my map and helped me get to familiar territory. I have no clue how to get to the lunchroom, and I’m already predicting I will have to get my students to show me around.

6. I got a spending budget. $35 to spend any way I want. I wasn’t expecting to get any financial help from my school, so this was a highlight. There are over 200 teachers in the school, so the principal can’t really spend more than $35 on each or us, but we are ordering from somewhere that offers great deals, so $35 will go a long way in getting me my basics. If you are a teacher and know of some supplies that I absolutely have to have, please let me know. My order form is due by the end of the month.

 7. I got half my summer taken away. Professional Developement, baby! School starts for me near the middle of July with all my orientations and pre-planning. I will also go to a Classroom Mangagement get-together at the school in June. Classroom Management was always a topic I felt comfortable with, but the closer I get to being on my own with 25 kids, the more brushing-up I feel I need. Apparently, we will only discuss management issues within the school and brainstorm ideas that will work with our specific students.

8. I got an ego boost. My principal told us more than once that she hired each of us because we impressed her with something we said or did or have done in the past. She told us she was extremely picky about who she hires, so the fact that we are on her staff means that we are pretty dang awesome (my words, not hers). Considering that 10,000 people showed up for the job fair in March, I knew she had a lot of people to choose from, so that does make me feel good about myself.

So all in all, I have very positive feelings about my new school going in to the summer. My classroom is open to me after June 10, so I have a feeling I’ll be making another trip up there in the next month.