Aug. 9, 2023
“Getting a teaching job at Twain Elementary is such a full circle moment for me. My son John has been here from kindergarten to fifth grade, and this year, my youngest son Jude will start kindergarten here. I live up the street; I substitute all the time. I’ve subbed in every grade in the building, so I’ve developed great relationships with all the teachers. I feel like Twain is already my home.
The teachers at Twain have been so supportive of me, but especially Alicia Johnson, who is right down the hall. She’s my Mentor Teacher in Future Educators. Once a month, I’ll talk to her for an hour or so and just ask all those questions about little things. What does she use to collect papers from students? How does she organize her plan time? They’re the smallest things, but they add up to have a big impact on a day-to-day teacher. Her answers help me feel more prepared, and that’s what Future Educators has done: made me feel prepared.
Future Educators has been an amazing program. Financially, it took the burden off of me, so I could just focus on studying and preparing to begin my career in education. But the Saturday Summits have been really valuable. I look forward to my three-hour trainings because the speakers, the sessions -- they’re so engaging and relevant. I really do feel like I’m learning valuable lessons that I’ll take with me into my first year of teaching, and I feel like the district supports me.
Over Winter Break, I saw that jobs were being posted, and I went ahead and started to apply. Michelle Gavel with Future Educators helped me, offering to do mock interviews, connect me with a way to get a professional headshot, encourage me with interview prep and just cheer me on. The program helped me end up where I wanted to be, which was in a teaching job, but to be at Twain, that was a dream. I feel like it all aligned, right on time.
My start in education is going to be messy. But I’m confident that I can do it. My confidence isn’t that I’ll be perfect, my confidence is that I’ll always be student-centered in everything that I do. If that’s my focus, when I need help there are so many resources at Twain and in the district, I know I’ll be successful.
I can’t wait for Aug. 22.”
