Lynn teachers prepare for students

LYNN – The first day of class is still on the horizon in Lynn, but the hallways and classrooms at most of the city’s schools are already buzzing as teachers begin to prepare for the coming year.While students spend their last few days of summer in the school supply aisle and trying to convince their parents to get them those trendy new sneakers, their teachers are hard at work inside the classrooms, meeting with colleagues and organizing lesson plans for the first few weeks of school.Although the first official day of work for teachers is a Sept. 2 professional development day, most can be found setting up their classrooms this week and taking care of the important details before students arrive.”Once the kids get here there is no time for anything, so we have to do it now,” said Amanda Curtis, a freshman science teacher at Classical High School. “It is a lot of finding what you have left, what you need, which markers work – things like that. It is a very exciting time, it’s a fresh start and everyone has a positive outlook.”At the Classical Freshman Academy, English as a second language faculty met Wednesday to introduce new staff, discuss plans for the upcoming year and attempt to cross their curriculum between each subject.With only eight teachers returning from last year’s academy because of layoffs and transfers, returning faculty must take the time before school to get to know new teachers and build a strong team.The situation is the same at other schools where, while there were no new hires in the district this year, many teachers still find themselves in new places because of transfers. Some still aren’t sure which classroom will be theirs.”Everything is clean and pristine and nice, but you have to get everything out, too,” said ESL teacher Hana Walsh. “The classrooms are emptied for the summer, so we have to put out books, set up computers and things like that. The big thing for me as an ESL teacher is the kids come in with a pre-conceived notion – they are scared. So it is important to be positive, to come up with that first fun activity and to introduce myself.”I can hang up posters and put out books in about an hour, but ESL kids get frustrated easily. You have to have those first few weeks prepared ahead of time so they can feel comfortable.”Most teachers have also spent a significant portion of the summer in professional development workshops as well. Bringing fresh ideas to the table and refreshing their desire to teach.”We do so much professional development I personally get excited to come back and try out all of the things we have talked about and learned about to see if the theories and ideas work,” said Curtis.For Curtis, preparing for the first day of school is all about setting the rules and getting right to work preparing for the biology portion of the MCAS exam, but it is also important to make the students feel comfortable at the same time.In many cases, students are arriving at a new school after a move or grade advancement, or are simply in a classroom with kids they do not know very well. Having a new teacher in a new classroom away from friends can be stressful for students in the first few months, so it is important for teachers to prepare their classrooms and lessons in a way that is calming to students.”For me, I have been teaching five years, but I still always get nervous leading into the first day of school. You have to try and get (students) comfortable and you have to be prepared to have something to do to keep the kids entertained,” she said. “Kids have to feel comfortable and safe first so they can come out of their shell and grow academically.”The first day of school for most students is Wednesday Sept. 3. High school sophomores, juniors and seniors will begin Sept. 4 and pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classes will begin Monday, Sept. 8.