Our morning started off at the middle school in the cafetorium (never heard of such a thing until I moved here). It is a combination cafeteria/gym/stage area. It was then off to the Gymnasium where we packed into bleachers and chairs. A bunch of us new teachers sat on the north side of the gym in the center on the bleachers. For a while no one sat near us as though so obvious we were the newbies. We laughed and watched the hundreds of teachers in the district file into the gym. Just after 8am the marching band kicked off playing the National Anthem which always gets me when I hear it. Knowing that my ancestor came over as an indentured servant and wanted so much to fight in the Revolution makes the flag a great symbol of his efforts and dedication to his adopted country. He was still living in NY during the War of 1812 when the Anthem was penned. That's what I think about each time I hear that song.
After that we heard from the H.S. Orchestra and the Choir which sang a song called Grateful where students added in thanks to some of their favorite teachers. Cute.
Our Superintendent made a few remarks shortly after 8:30. He sounds like a midwest version of James Earl Jones. He is a man dedicated to education and his booming voice just makes you listen. We also heard from our Board of Ed President who talked about community spirit and the fact that AYP scores don't measure all we do. The mayor of Urbana and the Union president also spoke.
After that, pins were handed out to teachers for years of service (5 yrs through 35 yrs). Our Assistant Superintendent spoke about the history of the Urbana school district from a 1-room school all the way till our current district status. He mentioned that in 2004 the goal was 40% of students making AYP. 4 schools did not make it. In 2009 it was 70 % and 4 schools did not make it despite enormous progress. This year it is 77%. The Superintendent got up again and talked about being Together For Our Kids. Another great speech.
The new teachers were then asked to stand and line up along one wall of the gym. The rest of the gathered then were to walk the line and shake our hands. Slightly embarrassing but nice idea. Most people just tried to cut through our line towards the doors. Oh well. I went to lunch with my department and some of the PE folks to Dos Reales, the local "primo" Mexican restaurant. It was pretty good, but no Hacienda.
After lunch we split up by schools, had a brief meeting then were off to Department staff meetings. We talked about budget and funding and our need to resolve a few room issues, including mine. I'm in 4 rooms for my 4 classes on 3 different floors. Passing periods are 4 minutes. You do the math.
It was a great day. I learned a lot, especially how much of a family these folks are to each other and strive to stay that way. It seems to be all about the students. I hope that's the way it remains and the experience I have in the coming months. I'm not very nervous. I can't imagine doing this at 21. I'm fortunate to have nearly 12 years of work under my belt and time to learn about my personality, character and reaction strategies.
It's time I head off to school now. Have a great day everyone. Stay tuned.
KB
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