New teachers work through pandemic

First-year teachers entered school with an extra sense of worry. The start of the school year has been unfamiliar for returning students and teachers alike due to COVID-19.  Three new teachers spotted around the building include Natalie Davey, who is an English teacher, Willie Wright, a science teacher and wrestling coach, and Meghan Page, a civics and economics teacher. 

Being a first-year teacher could be a challenging adjustment for some. It is a new and foreign experience for the educator as they have never taught before, so it is imaginable how one could be stressed more than usual. Adding the challenges of COVID-19 on top of all that they already have going on can be even more nerve-wracking to new teachers. 

“It’s making us become more innovative with our lesson plans and becoming more technology-based,” Wright said.

Teachers, along with students, are learning how to navigate online tools that will help continue to help them develop education in and outside of the classroom. Although there are many programs students have used before and are familiar with such as Google Classroom.

“It’s affected me in a positive way of making me think creatively and plan for ways for students who are online to be able to still experience learning online,” Davey said.

According to Wright, the new regulations seem to be a little lenient on first-year teachers.

 “I knew that there were also going to be a lot of guidelines and new rules but because I’m a first-year teacher, I don’t know what the norm was before this,” Wright said. “It’s not as hard for me as it is for teachers who’ve been here before.”  

 Returning faculty has supported and made this experience smoother for new teachers by providing resources, contacts, and lesson plans to make them feel at ease.

“So many teachers and administrators from Har-Ber have been a part of making this journey into teaching easier for me,” Page said. “I can not express my gratitude enough to the staff here at Har-Ber.”