Poise + preparation = success for new teacher
Published: August 9, 2005
Several minutes after first-year teacher Jessica Baker saw the last of her students leave at the end of the first day of school Monday, she was ready to cry.
But her emotions weren’t inspired by the horror stories many of her colleagues said she might experience during her first day in the classroom.
Instead, she was reflecting on her mother’s dedication to education and realizing how that path had become her own.
“Until today, I never knew what she meant when she said she didn’t think of this as a job,” Baker said.
“I’m actually relieved,” she added. “I’ve heard people say they cried for weeks and weeks during their first year, but I don’t feel the need to cry. If I do cry, it will be tears of joy.”
Baker’s day began before 8 a.m. when she arrived at Grace Christian Elementary School where she had prepared a room for the arrival of her fourth-grade students, whom she has dubbed “Mrs. Baker’s Brilliant Bunch.”
The 24-year-old teacher shyly watched the room as a group of six students worked quietly on problems she had written on the chalkboard.
But when the first bell rang, she quickly introduced herself and her classroom rules before submerging the students in the direct instruction, or DI, reading program that has become a hallmark of the city school district’s curriculum.
She drilled the material with the poise of a pro.
She said she owed her confidence to two weeks of rigorous preparation the district requires of its new teachers and the help of her mentor and fellow teachers.
“We had a full week of DI training and then we had one week to prepare with the staff and administrators,” Baker said. “You really don’t get this kind of support in other districts.”
“Teacher training is very vital to what we do,” Grace Christian’s direct instruction coach Rosanne Crockett said. “From Day 1, children need to know that learning is going to take place. We tell our teachers there is no reason to wait.”
Throughout the day, the small group gradually grew to a total of 17 pupils, who became somewhat anxious as the afternoon wore on.
“They’re a little restless now,” Baker said quietly as the students fidgeted in their seats, waiting for the final bell.
But as the students began dismissing in groups, the bus riders who left last took a bit of time to express their feelings about their new teacher.
Hattie Walker, 9, drew a heart on the chalkboard and wrote “We love Mrs. Baker, the best teacher on the first day.”
Earlier in the day, Baker also received her first drawing - a similar depiction on a piece of notebook paper.
“She teaches good,” student Dewayne Owens said as he prepared to leave. “She let us have fun and go outside too.”
While the students said they enjoyed the reading, math and language lessons, they also said they like Baker’s technique of getting students out of their seats and moving around before the day begins.
“It was kind of fun when she told us to shake off the morning,” Walker said.
“She’s awesome,” her classmate Shaniyah Daniels said.
“I’ve really got a good group,” Baker said. “They follow directions. They do get antsy in the afternoon, but that’s only to be expected.”
As the day progressed, several people came by to observe the class or wish Baker well on her first day with the students.
But one of the most harrowing moments for the young teacher was when Superintendent Annie Wimbish, Associate Superintendent Jimmy Hopkins and Grace Christian Principal Felicia Johnson all made a surprise visit.
“It caught me by surprise for a second, but then I let go of it,” she said. “When I see Dr. Wimbish and my principal, they make me feel so capable and supported.”
Johnson said Baker’s performance on her first day bode well for her career choice.
“She’s a real firecracker for a first-year teacher,” the principal said. “This whole first day rush can be overwhelming. When I started teaching, I was crying after school for the first two weeks.”
Her final visitor of the day, second-grade teacher Jennifer Wilson, agreed with that assessment.
“True teachers are not made,” she told Baker. “They are called, and you have that written all over you.”
And as she ended her own day, the new teacher said the experience will be well worth the anxiety.
“I prepared for the worst, but I got something so much better than that,” Baker said.
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