EDUCATION

Teaching Teachers … The Wylie Way

TEACHING IS THE PROFESSION THAT TEACHES ALL THE OTHER PROFESSIONS

by Ian Halperin

Wylie ISD has established a goal to attract, retain and value a quality staff. Teachers make up the largest part of the district’s staff and, in a growing district like Wylie ISD, the search for highquality teachers is a year-round process. But where do the best teachers come from? And how does the district ensure that the people leading their classrooms are the best and brightest, willing to work every day to enrich the lives of children?

The answer: they help make them. Defrank and the two have found ways to learn from each other. “You can’t plan it all. You need to have a full backpack of ideas,” said Mitrisin. “Sometimes you have to flip the plan. Lessons change based on student needs. Bree analyzes what the students need and what they need from her. She is constantly asking, ‘How can I make that better?’.” And for Defrank, it’s about taking what she has learned in her classroom and having the confidence to use it with 20 kindergarteners. “You can only learn so much Akin teacher Shannon Mitrisin with Texas A&M Commerce from books,” said Defrank. “With

The Texas teacher certification student Bree Defrank. Mrs. Mitrisin I’ve learned to be process includes a clinical excited on my own, making my teacher requirement, commonly fun moments with the students. called student teaching. Clinical It all comes down to forming teachers are usually in their relationships with my students. senior year of college and It’s both fun and scary.” nearing graduation. They must In a district like Wylie ISD spend 14 weeks in a classroom, where relationships are viewed as getting first-hand experience in a key to student success, trust is classroom management. a vital component of the process.

Wylie ISD currently has 40 While they are still “her kids” clinical teachers from several Bree Defrank working with Akin Elementary students. Mitrisin has reached the level of Texas universities, each paired trust where she feels confident with an experienced cooperating teacher. Despite the saying to Defrank, “This is your classroom.” challenges of this school year, both the experienced Mitrisin said it’s become a “let’s try that” atmosphere. teachers and the hopeful teachers remain focused on “I can give Bree more flexibility than I had when I was a serving our students. student teacher.”

“A student teacher does everything the cooperating Hefty knows that the district will need 100-120 teacher does each day,” said Missy Hefty, the district’s new teachers this fall and is hopeful that the student director of recruitment and retention and coordinator of teachers like Defrank and others currently in Wylie ISD the program in Wylie ISD. “They apply all the knowledge schools will begin their careers here. and theories they have learned in their classrooms to an actual classroom full of kids.” “We love to hire these student teachers because they have learned our cultures and expectations. They also

Veteran Akin kindergarten teacher Shannon Mitrisin see how the Wylie Way makes the district so special and was paired with Texas A&M Commerce student Bree they don’t want to leave us.” w