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Interview ProjectBy: Ciara, Dashia, Jessica, & Susanna

Teacher's First Year

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Linda Fyffe: Former Math TeacherTaught 7th Grade Pre Algebra, 8th Grade Algebra, and 9th Grade Fundamentals of Math near Fort Worth

Advice to Future Teachers: “Your beautiful and you need to watch 15

and 16-year-old boys flirting with you. Anything that looks inappropriate avoid.

Avoid anything that seems weird. Be professional always, don’t spew politics or

religion.”

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Education Background

“Greatest accomplishmen

t is helping a student who

doesn’t understand the

material

and while

helping them,

seeing the light bulb go off.”

Earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education

Minored in MathDuring first years working,

earned a Masters in Counseling Started as a substitute and

received a position as a math teacher

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About the School and TeachingMiddle School near Fort WorthTaught math for three different grade levelsDemographics:

Mostly Hispanic studentsLower SES level

Began teaching at 23 years old, about 25 years ago

Eventually began counseling students in sexual education and working with Planned Parenthood

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Overview of Teacher’s 1st YearHardest part was discipline

This lead to wanting to educate in counselingTeaching students was more than teaching, also

help to shape character Developing relationship with parent and child,

understands more now that she is a parent how they must have felt

Biggest work load:Paper work, planning, and gradingTook papers home to grade, didn’t stay after school

too lateColleagues were supportive, parents were not as

involved because school wasn’t as much of a priority and worked a lot

My Teacher: Mari Burke

Age: 27

Current Occupation: 7th grade English

Began Teaching: 2008

Demographics of FISD:•Student enrollment: 37,281•58% white, 15% Hispanic, 12% Asian, 10% African American•12% on free lunch•Average Home Value: $241,179•More than 2, 600 teachers with over 3.8 years experience.

• Had a lot of support from colleagues, and administration

• She said that the key to surviving the first year was the feedback she got from administration on her teaching styles and the reassurance that she was on the right track

• Her colleagues helped with her lessons and activities, so did the internet, and the school district database called Eduphoria with resources.

Her First Year•First hired as a long term sub in Mckinney and the teacher left no plans, and she was hired three days before school started.

•Transferred to Roach Middle School in FISD in the second six weeks where her starting salary was $45,000

• Would go back in her first year and instill a good routines and procedures system.

• Didn’t anticipate the hours it would take to thoroughly grade all the papers and assignments with proper rubrics.

• She said her first official day was a blur and was six hours of needing to go to the bathroom, and doing her first day song and dance.

•Age: Approx. 35

•Years Teaching: 6

•Area of Focus: Kindergarten but can teach up to grade 4

•Current occupation: Kindergarten Teacher

•Began teaching in 2006

•Graduated from the University Of North Texas

•Teaches at a north Texas elementrary school in a low SES area with a large percentage of hispanic and asian students making up the student body; 93% of the students are in the reduced or free lunch program; Title II School

•Got her job with luck as she student taught there and landed a job the next semester

Mrs. Rimmel

Mrs. Rimmel’s First Year Teaching

• Mrs. Rimmel started out her teaching 2 months into the school year and had some problems establishing her “new” rules once the old teacher left.

• She tried hard to make the first year perfect but felt as though it was a very beneficial learning experience.

• On her first year with her rules in place at the beginning of the school year she found getting the children to respect her was much easier.

Challenges faced

• She faced a few boys who did not agree with her rules in the beginning with the change of establishment in the class room but soon she found through patience and enforcing the rules they soon complied before the year was over.

• In later years she was faced with a very violent student whose actions begin to put the other children in danger through his outbursts. By sticking to the book and filing the paper work to get action taken, the boy was removed from the class and placed in a class that had a higher teachers to student ratio to keep him in check and programs to outlet his energy.

Important Advice for New Teachers

• “Don’t beat yourself up. It’s so stressful no matter what you do the first year and don’t try to make it perfect.”

Kelly Folsom, Age 36Physical Education Teacher, Hawk Elementary, Denton ISD 6yrs

Graduated Oklahoma State with All Level Certification Physical Education and Health

Starting Salary $32,000 (Denton ISD)

Lee Elementary 2001-2005

Title 1 School (improving the academic achievement of the disadvantaged)

low Socio-economic

Phys Ed K-5

Used ‘Love and Logic’

Philosophy or Mission

“The primary goal of the Physical Education Department at Lee Elementary is to provide students with a safe and fun learning environment. By establishing a positive environment the students will be able to accumulate the knowledge and skills necessary to lead healthy, active lifestyles.”

First Year Woes

time management, parental contact, organizational skills lacking

(in college) more interactions/observations with teachers

dealings with CPS

lack of parental support

budget and class sizes

First Year Surprises

Starting Salary in Denton $32,000 vs starting salary in Oklahoma $24,000

support from teachers and administration then and now

lack of parental support

Common ThemesLack of parental support

support from colleagues and administration

classroom management concerns

time management concerns

all felt prepared after college

paperwork load unexpected

student teachers were offered jobs

difficult to manage children because of the ‘case by case’ situations

Advice....

Love and Logic-form of classroom management that makes students responsible for their own actions

“Focus on the positive! Fix the negatives that can be fixed, but stay tuned to the positive, you will see great things happen each day!”

be flexible and ask questions

patience