With the second semester in full swing and course selection and spring weather on the horizon, it’s time to reflect on the first semester. For some staff members, the fall semester was the first time new Bulldog teachers were able to engage with the Stone Bridge community.
The “Bulldog Tribune” has taken the time to interview many of the recent additions to the instructional staff at the school to hear their perspective on teaching and becoming a part of the school’s unique culture. Of the group interviewed, many are in their first official teaching position.
“I started substituting when I was in grad school,” environmental science teacher Alexis Marceau said. “I took a long term subbing position in biology, and I was like, ‘Oh this is actually really fun.’ When I finished grad school, the job market was not great, but there was a formal teacher shortage, and I was like, ‘I’m halfway decent at it. Let’s give that a shot.’”
Dr. Marceau’s background in substitute teaching is shared by nearly every teacher interviewed, including the most recent addition to the culinary education program, Ainsley Steger.
“I was a long term sub last year, and the teacher that I was subbing for was not coming back. Everyone was like, ‘Girl, you want to be a teacher?’ and I was like, ‘I guess,”’ Ms. Steger said. “It was a journey back to my roots. [My] sister is a senior right now, and my mom is going to be a long term sub, so it’s a very fun family moment.”
Ms. Steger previously worked as a barista until her colleague, Ms. Suzanne Creech, encouraged her to take on full-time teaching as both an Intro to Culinary Arts and Gourmet Foods teacher. In the past, Ms. Steger was a Stone Bridge student, creating an onslaught of new perspectives in the shift from student to staff member.
“Some of my teachers are still here,” Ms. Steger said. “Not very many, but a few of them. It is so weird to have a teacher that is now my coworker. You’re telling me I’m supposed to call Ms. Stender by her first name? That’s crazy.”
Many new staff members were already heavily involved with the Bulldog community; however, other new educators are just experiencing their first glimpse.
“This is my third year teaching, but I taught for two years in Indiana,” algebra teacher Nicole Sherringham said. “In Indiana, there’s only one school in the county…some students would have to drive forty-five minutes to school every day. [When I arrived here] it was crazy how every ten minutes that you drive down the road there’s a new high school with so many people.”
Many of the newest members expressed the difficulties of facing new challenges, but ultimately found the first semester fulfilling.
“Everything is so surprising,” Ms. Steger said. “Sometimes I’m like, ‘Wow, children are evil,’ because some of them, we tussle. But, when I find a way to get through to a student that’s difficult to get through to, it’s really rewarding for me.”
The school administration has evidently welcomed many excellent new educators to the teaching staff, setting the community up with the potential for continued growth.
