Name: Josie Lewin
Location: Spring Hill USD 230
Class/content area taught: First grade
What are you most excited about with your new career? I am most excited that I get to wake up each day and be excited to come to school! I love that I have my own classroom full of students that I get to teach!
What you enjoy most about teaching: What I enjoy most is building relationships with students in my classroom. I have been blessed to have been teaching 5 days a week in person since August. This has helped me really build strong relationships and understand what motivates my students.
In what ways has your school/district supported you? My district has been a wonderful support system. I was given a mentor teacher in August, and she has been a life saver! We meet multiple times a week to go over challenges that I am facing, but also talk about what is going well. I also have an instructional coach within my building who meets with me weekly. The instructional coach and I talk about ways I can improve and make sure that I am staying on top of new teacher responsibilities. I have also had her cover my class while I was able to observe other grade level teachers in my building.
What are some specific things you believe KSU especially helped prepare you for your new career? I think that KSU did a really good job of giving me various experiences. I was able to teach so many different types of students during my time there. I also love how many opportunities I was given through the University, I was able to volunteer for many different organizations and even spend a summer teaching out of the country!
Suggestions/encouragement for new teachers: My advice would be to get involved in as many ways as you can! The more experiences you can give yourself before coming into your own classroom the better! There are going to be SO many unexpected challenges, if you can have knowledge in even just a few of them it is super helpful. I would also highly recommend being a para part time while still in school. This was one of the most helpful things I did. I was able to work with students K-6 while also gaining confidence within a school setting. I feel like that really gave me an extra boost coming into my own classroom!
Bonus question, thanks to the Pandemic: COVID-19—How has the Pandemic shaped your classroom—the environment, safety precautions, etc.? How has it affected you as a new teacher? It has definitely posed challenges for my students and me…. I think the hardest part is trying to keep 6 and 7 year olds spaced out. My students do a great job with masks, but it is so sad to think about all of the fun group activities they are missing out on. I just feel so lucky to be teaching in-person, and I now know that is something that I will never take for granted.