Anna Tumlin, a 22-year-old University of Cincinnati graduate this past May, is ready. The first-year Hamilton junior high science teacher at Wilson Middle School has the expected nerves for any rookie educator, but she’s confident in her skills and the team of teachers surrounding her.
Though she said she was “pretty nervous” when talking with the Journal-News this past Wednesday, she admitted to being less nervous than she was a week before, ahead of her new-teacher orientation. Though her nerves calmed after that orientation, it did prompt “20 billion new questions.”
But meeting her team and other teachers, like second-year English teacher Halie Barger, has made Tumlin more comfortable. It also helped that she had an opportunity most education undergrads don’t get during student teaching: she filled in for a teacher on maternity leave as a long-term sub.
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
Though stress levels are typically high for first-year teachers, they’re not as high for Tumlin as they could be after experiencing the support at Wilson.
“I feel it will all be okay,” she said, heading into the new school year. I’ll be able to lean on my team and ask for help when I need it. I’m really excited to see how tight-knit everything is and the small size of the school.
Barger took a nontraditional route to becoming a teacher. She left journalism to earn a master’s degree from Miami University so she could be a teacher. She was inspired by the teachers at the school board meetings she covered at the Harrison Press.
“I had the best first year of teaching,” she said.
It helped that her co-teacher, Taylor Sloan, an intervention specialist, was a veteran presence in her classroom. They both like to follow the rules but also have similar personalities.
One of Barger’s biggest worries during her first year was how to correct behavior in the classroom. She didn’t want to be too soft, but also, she didn’t want to be too tough. It’s all part of classroom management, which takes a while to get a handle on.
“That’s the one thing they always tell you is that your classroom management is the one thing that will take you forever to learn,” said the 2016 Edgewood graduate. “I’m still not perfect, and you can ask anybody, and they’ll say they’re still not perfect.”
By the end of the year, Tumlin said she hopes to have a better handle on her classroom management, but one of the biggest things she wants to accomplish is to be inspirational.
“I hope I inspire different students,” she said. “Seventh grade is the first year that students have a designated science class, so I hope to get them excited about that type of stuff.”
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
There are two things Barger advises Tumlin, and any other first-year teacher to do. First, set boundaries.
“It’s okay to leave work at work,” she said, however, adding that the first semester will be a challenge. “Your mental health depends on you having fun and doing things that you like in your evenings. That includes rest.”
Second, savor the moments. Write down funny jokes or things students say, and save letters and notes. It may be overly nostalgic, but she said you don’t get another first year.
“Your first year is going to go by so fast,” Barger said. “You blink an eye, and it will be Christmas break. You blink another eye and you’ll be doing state testing, which means the year is almost over.”
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