New high school teacher fits new attitude
Published: September 23, 2005
Ever since Dana Brown took over as principal of Malden High School in 2003, there has been a buzz. It lingers beneath the enthusiasm and pride of the faculty and the laughter of students in the hall; a sense of excitement about possibilities.
Jennifer Roy, a recent college graduate who was hired this summer to teach 10th grade biology, felt the buzz immediately.
“It’s a spirit, a school pride thing,” she said. “People talk about how Malden was this and that, but then they go to what’s coming next. It’s not pessimistic, it’s optimistic. It’s moving forward. It made me want to stay here.”
A biology major with a minor in secondary education from Stonehill College in Easton, Roy said she “had options” as she hunted for jobs. She was offered a job at a suburban school, but said her experience last spring as a substitute teacher in Chelsea made her realize how fulfilling it could be to work with urban youth.
“I fell in love with urban kids,” she said, “how much they needed, and how much they appreciate what you give them.”
Teaching and guiding come naturally to Roy, who said at 17 years old, she knew she was most interested in science, but was thinking early on of medical or dental school after graduation. A teaching assistantship with the freshman biology lab at Stonehill changed her direction. She loved helping the students in the lab, and her professors recognized teaching was her calling.
“They told me, ‘We see it in every inch of you’,” Roy said.
Roy radiates with the hope and idealism that is common in new teachers. Few concerns seem to faze her as she embarks on her first year as a professional.
“I worry about, am I meeting their needs?” she said, “I don’t want to leave the low kids behind, and I want to make sure I am challenging the high kids enough.”
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