New Teacher Support & Development
’Tis the Season . . . Joy!
Our Joy: New Teachers
'Tis the Season! As we close 2019, as customary when transitioning from time to another, we reflect on this first semester with our new teachers since the NTO. It has been our pleasure to witness their passion, their growth, their becoming comfortable in their "teacher-skins," which did not always fit well - too tight, too itchy, too something! Yet, they have learned to manage and do wear Teacher well! One teacher reflected this reality eloquently and indited candidly in her Developing as a Professional Educator poem. I used to feel incredibly lost and full of self-doubt,/But one day I realized I can at least pretend/So now I fool myself and my students into believing in me and themselves. Yes, sometimes, we have “to fake it until we make it.” Yes, we are actors!
Their passion to be their best drives them. Another teacher penned, I say that my desire to make a difference will guide me to become a better educator.
For NT TOSA John and me, witnessing our teachers’ transitions . . . our joy! Listening to their reflections, to their heart-felt questions, to their goals . . . our joy. In his poem, John summarized it well: I understand they all want the best/I touch joy inside.
In whichever way you observe this time of year, may you enjoy its gifts:
the rest for body, mind, and soul; the sounds of laughter; the joys of family and friends;
the aromas of nostalgia; . . . contentment!
John Ekelund
Unlocking the Future Today!