Today is the first day of the 2016-17 school year at Wasatch High School and I am super excited to get started. It has been a whorl wind week, with new teacher meetings, getting a device and learning how that device can be used as a tool to help students; on top of all that I just closed on a new house so my family and I have been moving this whole week, I am exhausted!
With all of that being said I feel blessed to have the opportunity to teach at Wasatch and be a part of the Heber Valley community. Wasatch School District is doing great things to integrate technology as a tool to help young people achieve success. I appreciate, as a new teacher in this type of environment, that there are multiple people whose job it is to help teachers use these technology tools to their fullest in order to help students. I have never been in a district where the support staff for teachers has been so comprehensive.
Here are a couple of things I am looking forward to as we begin today!
History- Yes I am a history teacher so it may seem normal to be excited about this but the history I am thinking of is the history of Wasatch High School. The school is now 108 years old but just 8 years old in the current building. The school has done a fantastic job at making sure, that history is on display and that students understand what it means to be a Wasp at Wasatch High. Today in fact freshman are the only ones who will be here and one of the reasons why is so they can be educated on the history of this school and understand the culture and what it means to be a Wasp at Wasatch High. I believe it is important to understand our own history to know where we have been in order to help us get to where we want to go.
Technology- I am very excited about the tools that have been provided to teachers and students here at Wasatch High School. The school is a 1:1 learning environment, this environment will provide students more opportunities to explore and learn more than before. I have been shown so many different tools that it has been almost overload. What I have decided to do is take only a few of the tools and concentrate on them for a couple weeks and then move on to something else. In order to give students choice I have also decided to talk to the students first and hear from them what they feel are the best tools to help them learn and start with those. If students are on board with what is being taught and how it is being taught I believe they will work harder and achieve more.
Swimming- As part of my responsibilities I will also be the Head men's and women's swimming coach. I love coaching because I feel I get to work closer with student/athletes to help them achieve their goals. Being a coach has taught me so much about how to differentiate learning for many students. Coaching has also taught me classroom management, communication skills, planning, listening and other skills that put me "ahead" of the teaching game. If you have not had the opportunity to coach a group of young people you should take that opportunity when it arises, even if you don't know much about the sport. Just take the chance and gain some skills that can be brought back to your classroom, you will not regret it.
What are the reasons you are excited about starting another school year?
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