New teachers drawn to the profession by idealism and examples
Newly minted teachers are preparing to head into the classroom.
Zack Pilarski
Chelsea Fitzpatrick
Mackenzie Garry
Mikyla Golden
Alex Pinarski
news@greenecountymessenger.com
The news about teaching lately has been pretty downbeat.
Teachers have been exiting the profession in droves, according to many news reports, and young people are avoiding it like Kryptonite, leading to shortages in classrooms. Salaries are lower than other occupations that demand a college degree, and some parents and politicians are eager to target teachers, demonizing them and meddling in their classrooms.
Still, there are young adults who are eager to teach, to get in front of a classroom full of sometimes-animated, sometimes-obstreperous students day after day to pass along knowledge, help them think critically and offer up a dose or two of inspiration along the way. In many cases, new teachers are driven by idealism, a desire to be engaged in an honorable endeavor and to give back to the community. Some were also driven to teach because they were inspired by the teachers in their lives.
That was the case with Richard Houston, who is a newly minted art teacher at Brownsville Middle School. He graduated from the California campus of PennWest University in May, and was surprised and happy to find a full-time teaching job so soon after getting his diploma.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 very grateful to have the opportunity,无毛视频� he said.
Houston concedes he wasn无毛视频檛 the best student himself when he attended Thomas Jefferson High School in Jefferson Hills, but his art teacher offered encouragement to him.
无毛视频淚 realized that he inspired me to do something, and I would love to do that for someone else,无毛视频� Houston said.
Mackenzie Garry, who will be teaching at South Central and Muse elementary schools in the Canon-McMillan School District, was also motivated to enter education by teachers in her life 无毛视频� her parents. Her father, Tim Garry, taught driver无毛视频檚 education and accounting in the Canon-McMillan district, and her mother, Ann Garry, was a sixth-grade math teacher in the Fort Cherry School District.
无毛视频淚 got to fall in love (with teaching) when I was a child,无毛视频� said Garry, who graduated from Fort Cherry High School and Slippery Rock University. 无毛视频淚 was always really passionate about teaching young kids.无毛视频�
And if much of the recent public focus on teaching has been on its downsides, Garry recognizes its pluses: 无毛视频淗aving summer off and making a difference in people无毛视频檚 lives,无毛视频� she said.
Working closely with students at his church nudged Zack Pilarski toward a teaching career. Like Houston, Pilarski is a graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School in Jefferson Hills and PennWest University, and will be teaching seventh-grade wood shop and eighth-grade robotics at Canon-McMillan Middle School.
无毛视频淚 think I无毛视频檓 very fortunate to have this opportunity,无毛视频� Pilarski said. 无毛视频淚 was very fortunate to find a job close to home, and in the content area I enjoy most.无毛视频�
Chelsea Fitzpatrick, a PennWest graduate, will be teaching second grade at Marshall Elementary School in the Laurel Highlands School District. She explained that teaching was always something she aspired to do when she was growing up, and said, 无毛视频淚 will learn as much from my students as they will learn from me. I can definitely see that.无毛视频�
Mikyla Golden, who is also starting at Marshall Elementary School this academic year, said she is looking forward to making up songs to help her students learn math.
Alex Pinarski of Peters Township is set to be a permanent substitute teacher at Streams Elementary School in the Upper St. Clair School District. There were 无毛视频渁 lot of factors无毛视频� that played into Pinarski无毛视频檚 decision to become a teacher, among the most prominent being that it无毛视频檚 无毛视频渁 great way to give back to the community.无毛视频�
What is the best advice he has received so far?
无毛视频淏e flexible, pivot and adjust yourself and your lesson,无毛视频� Pinarski said. 无毛视频淵ou have to be ready for anything.无毛视频�