Newer Teachers

Notes from the Field: Newer Teachers

An Unusual First Year

This past school year was Tonishia Davenport’s third year teaching, but her first year teaching fifth grade. Before the 2020-21 school year, she taught second grade for two years.

“I was ready for anything the entire year. There were so many changes that happened,” said Davenport, who teaches at Austin Road Elementary in Henry County. “Nothing was set in stone.”

In Henry County, it was up to parents when their children returned to in-person learning. As a result, Davenport had to adjust her classroom on an ongoing basis to accommodate students.

“When everyone was virtual, I could do what I had done in previous years and sort students based on their personalities, relationships, and data. But this year, I had to also consider where they were sitting in the classroom,” she said. “I had to really think about who they were sitting with, who had health challenges, who needs to sit by the board so they can see — or when a new student came in, adding a desk, reconsidering the spacing between desks, etc.”

These changes made classroom management even more challenging, said Davenport.

“The most challenging thing is making sure that every student is getting me in a way that they need me. Differentiating in so many ways and then balancing that out day-to-day with the reading and math is difficult — especially when you are teaching all five subjects to students,” she said.

For Mason Yancey, a firstyear teacher at Walnut Grove High School in Walton County, getting comfortable in the classroom this past school year took some time despite the many familiar faces greeting him in the hallways. Yancey — who teaches ninth and 10th English, serves as an assistant coach for both varsity and middle school football, and is the ninth grade head baseball coach — had the advantage of having graduated from Walnut Grove not that long ago.

“I probably have a dozen or so faculty members who taught me and know me from high school, a few assistant principals who remember me, and also several friends around my age who teach here,” said Yancey, who is the first high school graduate of the school to come back and teach. “I feel comfortable around these people. It’s a little weird to call them by their first names, but they have known me for 10 years, so that has been really helpful.”

The first year on the job during a typical school year would be challenging enough, but the 2020-21 school year brought a whole new set of unique challenges. Fortunately for Yancey, all of his students were face-to-face this year, so he did not have to split his time between in-person and virtual students. But the year was not without its challenges.

“In some ways, it was a blessing in the sense that I didn’t feel like I was the only one who didn’t know what was going on. Even veteran teachers had to adjust to a completely new

Tonishia Davenport with her class on a field trip observing Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.

Anubha Singh (center), an honors biology teacher at Cambridge High School in

Milton, works with students in a blood-typing lab. Students were given unknown blood types belonging to four different fictitious people and had to determine who had which blood type (A, B, AB or O). year. But it was also hard because this year came with a bunch of new and different things that might not carry into the future,” said Yancey. “There may be some things I will have to adjust or learn to do differently.”

Anubha Singh, an honors biology teacher at Cambridge High School in Fulton County, can relate. Singh made the transition from tutoring and teaching at a community college to teaching high school honors biology two and a half years ago. The 2020-21 school year began completely virtual, and by the end of the year, Singh was simultaneously teaching 70 percent of students face-to-face and the other 30 percent virtually

“I remember veteran colleagues, teachers who have taught for 20-25 years, telling me, ‘This is new for us as well. We’re all in this together. This is unchartered waters for everyone — we will learn as we go.’ That made me feel better,” said Singh.

The First Year: Biggest Challenges

For Singh, who was hired mid-year with no background in teaching high schoolers, classroom management was a big challenge.

“To say that first month was challenging would be a huge understatement. I was confident about the content I had to teach but clueless about how to do it. I had absolutely zero experience in classroom management,” said Singh. “But that challenge pales in comparison to the challenge of learning how to be an effective virtual teacher as school opened remotely in August 2020. Once again, I was confident in the content and, this time, even confident about my improved classroom management skills but was very unsure about being an effective teacher in a virtual setting.”

For Hannah Walker, a first-year teacher at Fitzgerald High School College & Career Academy in Ben Hill County, transitioning from a paraprofessional to a lead teacher had its own set of challenges.

“Learning to manage a caseload and virtual learning and in-person learning all at the same time — while making sure kids are getting what they need online, making sure they are coming to school, and then tracking them down and making sure they get what they need — finding new ways to manage all of that, all in one day, has been challenging,” said Walker.

Walker served as a parapro at Fitzgerald College & Career Academy and transitioned to a lead teacher in January of 2021 during the second half of the school year. She teaches special education students in grades nine through 12 and serves as a co-teacher in history.

“Being a parapro, you have responsibilities, but you don’t do a whole list of things. You are there to assist the student and once you leave, your job is done,” Walker said. “But as a teacher, there is always someone who needs something, always grades to put in — it’s hard to manage that workload.”

Leontyne Harris, a new kindergarten teacher at BurdellHunt Magnet School in Bibb County, transitioned to a lead teacher during the 2020-21 school year after serving eight years as a kindergarten parapro at another elementary school in Macon. For Harris, the biggest challenge has been

Hannah Wilson Walker with her first class as a parapro at Fitzgerald College and Career Academy in Ben Hill County.

Leontyne Harris, a first-year kindergarten teacher at Burdell-Hunt Magnet School in Macon.

the additional planning and analyses required to meet the needs of students of varying abilities.

“The teaching part was the fun part, but the whole system of inputting data was new to me,” said Harris. “But now that I have done those things, it will be easier, and I will be on top of it next year.”

Mentors Make a Big Difference

“I have had two great mentors who dropped what they were doing to help me anytime I needed help,” said Walker. “It’s great to have mentors you can rely on that you can text after work and say, ‘I need help.’”

For Harris, working as a parapro for eight years before becoming a lead teacher provided valuable firsthand experience and a familiarity with establishing classroom rituals and routines.

“The relationship I formed with my lead teacher helped me transition to my current position. I am very fortunate to work with a very supportive group of experienced teachers who have taken me under their wings and guided me through the first year,” said Harris.

Harris also attends a monthly teacher support committee meeting in Bibb County. Fellow kindergarten teachers also meet together monthly at her school to talk about lessons and classroom strategies.

“My kindergarten team has been instrumental in helping me along, sending texts and emails and I also have a wonderful and supportive parapro who has been there for years. She

Cody Lamanac (back: fourth from left) with his 7th-grade math class at Teasley Middle School in Cherokee County.

Anubha Singh, an honors biology teacher at Cambridge High School in Milton, teaches students the process of DNA replication.

helped me with so many day-to-day and routine things,” said Harris.

Gina Barber, a third-year preschool teacher at Hand-InHand Primary School in Thomas County, has 22 students in her class with the help of a support teacher. Her school utilizes an unusual grade configuration with approximately 725 total students — all in preschool and kindergarten — and 13 classes of Pre-K.

“Our school is unique because we are exclusively Pre-K and kindergarten. There are 12 other Pre-K teachers I work with and am able to collaborate with each day,” said Barber. “I had a mentor teacher my first year — my neighbor teacher — so she has been my mentor for the past three years. I can bounce ideas off of her. It’s helpful to have veteran teachers near you because they can say, ‘It might work better this way.’”

What is your secret to success?

“You need to make a connection with the students and build some kind of personal rapport with them. Make them feel comfortable in the classroom where they are and not afraid to share their opinions or make a mistake,” said Singh. “I always tell my students, ‘If you knew everything, you wouldn’t be in my classroom.’ We are always here to learn and learn together.”

“Children have such inquisitive minds and when they ask questions, it opens up so many conversations. When you allow your students to speak and express their thoughts and opinions, it adds so much to a class lesson,” said Harris. “I think it will be 10years down the road when I can do things

Gina Barber, a third-year teacher at Hand-In-Hand in Thomas County, works with a small group of preschoolers creating bubble process art. with my eyes closed, but right now, my eyes are wide open. When you listen with an open heart to your students, that makes a successful teacher because you can always learn from them and they can always learn from you.”

For Singh, her favorite part of teaching is when she sees students’ eyes light up when they finally grasp a difficult concept.

“We have an experiment where we take a drop of water and look at it under a microscope. When they see that drop of water teeming with so much life, that look on their faces, that’s what keeps me going. It’s my favorite part of being a biology teacher,” said Singh. “I consider myself a lifelong learner. It’s important to stay curious, and I tell my students to do that as well.”

What inspired you to become a teacher?

When Cody Lamanac was in the first grade, he was in a serious car accident that resulted in a traumatic brain injury, double vision, and a visible eye deformation. Because of the lingering effects of the accident and years of crippling migraines, Lamanac struggled in school and fell behind academically.

While still in grade school, Lamanac saw a specialist who conducted a psychological evaluation and determined that his mathematical computation skills were weak and that he would be lucky to graduate high school.

“My parents never told me that. I didn’t learn about what the evaluation said until I was a freshman in college,” Lamanac said. “I went through school just thinking everything was harder for me and that I just had to work harder. Throughout all of that, I had some amazing teachers who pushed me.”

In high school, Lamanac said, math finally “clicked” for him. A straight “A” student, he started helping fellow students who were struggling in math class. By senior year, he knew he wanted to be a math teacher. Lamanac went on to graduate high school with honors and earned an undergrad in secondary math education from Reinhardt University where he graduated summa cum laude.

“I began to succeed in math because of the amazing teachers I had. I knew I wanted to be able to give back to the community and school system that helped my family and me,” said Lamanac, who teaches seventh grade math at Teasley Middle School in Cherokee County. Lamanac also attended school in Cherokee. “I also knew I wanted to be there for students who have been told they can’t. I wanted to be there to say they can and they will if they put in the effort.”

For Lamanac, who now has two years of teaching behind him, his biggest piece of advice to new teachers is simple: Be yourself and roll with it.

“There are going to be days that are terrible and days that are out of this world,” he said. “Don’t be afraid to be you. Take the good, the bad, and the ugly — take it all together for what it’s worth.” n

PEER-TO-PEER:

Top Recommendations from New Teachers

“Don’t sit there until 5 p.m. every day. Sometimes, you have to go home. You can grade those papers later. Things can wait — even when you don’t think they can. A teacher next door to me who acted as a mentor this year told me once that you have to remember to give yourself grace. Realize that everything isn’t going to be perfect. You have to be willing to let go and breathe for a moment.”

— Mason Yancey, ninth & 10th-grade English, Walnut Grove High School, Walton County

“Build relationships with your

team but also build relationships with different educators in different

areas. They can help you when you need help. They all have input. I have had teachers in grades above me and below me share information on where students may be in their learning — their challenges and positive things from the previous year. That was really beneficial.” — Tonishia Davenport, fifth-grade

Social Studies and Science, Austin Road Elementary School, Henry County

“You can be successful if you are willing to learn new things and not be set in your ways. I only have three years of experience, but COVID or not, I would do things differently in my third year than my first year. Kids change; lesson plans change. It’s important to be flexible and change things up.”

— Gina Barber, Pre-K, Hand-In-Hand Primary School, Thomas County

“Nothing is going to go according to plan. Sometimes your lesson plans get thrown out the window. You have to roll with it. Learn to be adaptable. Find good people to surround yourself with who can help. Don’t be ashamed to ask questions. Everyone has to start somewhere, and nobody knows everything.”

— Hannah Walker, Fitzgerald High School College & Career Academy, Ben Hill County

“Never stop asking questions. As a new teacher, I felt like a kindergarten student. I knew some things, but I knew I had a lot to learn. Like I tell my students — ask because if I can’t answer it, maybe one of your classmates can. Even if it sounds crazy to you, it’s a good question.”

— Leontyne Harris, Kindergarten, Burdell-Hunt Magnet School, Bibb County

“Don’t be shy to ask for help. I was constantly popping into colleagues’ classrooms during planning and lunch periods — always asking for help with classroom management, how to manage my time with grading — there was a constant barrage of questions I would throw at them. I couldn’t have survived the first 90 days without their support. Lean on your colleagues.

Don’t be shy. People are ready to

help if you ask for it.”

— Anubha Singh, Honors Biology, Cambridge High School, Fulton County

“Be willing to put yourself in their shoes but also make them feel like they have a voice. A child doesn’t want to be talked down to — especially in middle school. When I look at a kid, I say, ‘You say you can’t, but I know you can. You are capable.’ My biggest thing is being an encourager — pushing all the time and being the cheerleader for those kids who really need it. There are days you want a lot for them, but at the end of the day, you encourage them as much as you can in hopes that they will want it for themselves.” — Cody Lamanac, seventh-grade math, Teasley Middle School, Cherokee County

Help us change the face of education

The nationwide Call Me MiSTER (Mentors Instructing Students Toward Effective Role Models) program focuses on recruiting men of color (primarily Black males) to teach in K-12 schools. Georgia College established the state’s first-ever Call Me MiSTER cohort in 2015 and is looking for the next group of trailblazers in education!

Undergraduate MiSTERs are strongly preferred to major in early childhood, special education, or middle grades education. However, applicants may choose alternate pathways towards attaining a teaching certification, such as math with a teaching concentration. Graduate students pursuing careers in K-12 teaching are also encouraged to apply and are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Call Me MiSTER students will benefit from:

• Financial assistance through tuition assistance, stipends for books/meals/housing, and/or loan forgiveness • An academic support system • A cohort model for social and cultural support within the College of Education and through activities specific to Call Me MiSTER • Multifaceted mentorship • Immediate exposure to classroom training opportunities • Support and preparation for the GACE Program Admission Assessment • Assistance with job placement