Emma Hall ‘18
The 2017-2018 school year is an exciting year, but not just for seniors–it’s also a crazy time for the new teachers at South Lyon High School. The school welcomed many new faculty members this semester, many of them fresh out college. For the new staff, it is a critical and delicate time in their career.
Eric Williams, a new physical education teacher at the school, said that being a new teacher is like being a new student. Getting to know the teachers and students is a chief principal when adapting to the new environment. He stated, “everybody has been really welcoming and helpful.” He also said, “the culture of the staff and students here at South Lyon is great.” He isn’t the only new teacher that feels this way. David Kilbourn, another new staff member exclaimed “I have received so much help from the other teachers and principals here at SLHS. They have all looked out for me and answered my questions when I have them. This year would be a lot harder if it were not for them.”
Although settling into the environment has been fairly easy, some of the new staff members have also experienced some challenges. “Working at a new school is always a nervous affair.” Stated student teacher, Alexander Reed. Getting accustomed to the culture of the school can be difficult, but not unmanageable. Reed says, “each school has a different culture and atmosphere, especially with regard to their relationships between students and teachers. Finding that culture and slotting yourself in without disrupting the flow of the school can make me anxious, but it is a fairly easy task to do, at least in the South Lyon schools.”
Another challenge that some of the new teachers are being faced with is figuring out how they want the flow of their classroom to go. According to Kilbourn, this is his first teaching job, so the biggest challenge for him would be “trying to figure out what works for [himself] and [his] students in the classroom.” This is not uncommon for first-time educators.
According to Williams, “learning all the new grading systems and procedures has been a challenge.” South Lyon is on the 4 point grading scale, which is difficult to understand if one was accustomed to any other kind of grading scale. Although learning the point system has been troublesome for Williams, he states that “[his] fellow PE teachers have helped with this challenge.”
All the challenges that the new staff have experienced has opened doors for new relationships. New English teacher Michael Murphy proclaimed that his past teaching job at Richmond High School was great, and the strong relationships he formed with the staff made it nearly impossible to leave. He was extremely nervous about starting his new job at South Lyon. However, he seems to be enjoying SLHS just as much as he did Richmond! In an interview he stated, “Luckily, the first five months have been wonderful. I’m really fortunate to work with an AWESOME English Department and overall Staff at SL. All of the teachers have been fantastic and welcoming. They’ve helped me out in innumerable ways. I really enjoy working with them and learning from them.”
His fellow staff members aren’t the only ones that have made his first year at South Lyon memorable. Murphy also quoted, “I’ve enjoyed working with my students. The kids have been fantastic. They’re motivated to do well, and they’re very respectful. I’ve really enjoyed teaching all of my classes and seeing students grow in their reading, writing, and thinking.” This isn’t the only compliment that was given to the student body. Many of the teachers gave great regards to the kids.
All in all, it seems that the new faculty at South Lyon is doing pretty well and enjoying their time. Keep up the good work guys!
Photo courtesy of Hometown Life
Lyon Life 