SALEM — Dozens of new teachers toured Salem by trolley, visited the Peabody Essex Museum, and met with mentors and school administrators during new teacher orientation yesterday.
The Salem Schools have hired 47 teachers, counselors and other staff who will greet students when school starts next Thursday.
The new employees ate lunch at Collins Middle School yesterday, where they met with staff members and school administrators.
"I think you've all taken on a very serious job," said Superintendent William Cameron, who told the teachers they will be working with students of varying aptitudes, talents, fluency in English and more. "We're responsible for educating all of them."
Among the 47 new hires, 28 are first-year teachers, according to Marsha Feffer, a teacher at the Early Childhood Center who coordinated the teacher orientation along with Dolores Donofrio, a teacher at Salem High, and Beth Beaulieu, middle school curriculum coordinator.
The new teachers received tote bags, books and other materials to assist them, including a first-day checklist.
We caught up with some of the new faces in the schools:
Tina Cardone
Job: Salem High geometry and algebra II teacher
Are you new to teaching?
I taught three years at Lawrence High School.
Why teaching?
I always just really liked working with kids and getting people excited about math — and seeing that moment when students understand something.
What do you think of Salem?
I just moved here three weeks ago, and I'm loving it so far. It seems like there is always something going on.
Jessica Eveleth
Job: Carlton School, fifth grade
Are you new to teaching?
I used to be a para (aide) at Carlton, so I'll be teaching there now. It's very nice to be going back as a teacher."
Why teaching?
I never thought about teaching, but when I was working at Carlton as a para, I was there just 11/2 months and I knew, "This is what I want to do." So I went back to school.
Ryan Scanlan
Job: Collins Middle School, grade eight math and science teacher
Are you new to teaching?
I'm a first-year teacher. I worked at Waltham High School last year as a special education para and I coached football there, too.
Why teaching?
I've always enjoyed coaching, and they go hand in hand. I just enjoy working with kids.
Valerie Callahan
Job: Bowditch School, grade five teacher
Are you new to teaching?
I started at Bowditch as a long-term sub last year, and I was a para in Beverly and subbed at Carlton two years ago. This is very exciting. I've always wanted to be a teacher.
Why teaching?
My fifth- and third-grade teachers made me love school. I actually ended up at my old school as a para. (Hannah School in Beverly).
What are you looking forward to?
I'm just very excited about it all — to have a permanent position, and a new principal. I'm excited about seeing what happens this year, and I'm excited for starting the first day with my own classroom.
Michaela Collins
Job: Witchcraft Heights School, kindergarten and first-grade inclusion classroom (regular education and special education)
Are you new to teaching?
This is my fourth year out of college. I was a para at Carlton, I worked at a private school for a year, and I was a long-term sub at Witchcraft last year. I'm so excited for my new job.
Why teaching?
I come from a family of teachers ... and I love kids, and I like teaching special education in the regular classroom.
Why?
Because it's great to see all kids be included. It's a challenge to find the right way to teach, and you may have to accommodate them or modify what you're doing. But when you find that way it's one of the most rewarding things.
Kristin Rodgers
Job: Carlton School, third-grade teacher
Are you new to teaching?
I've been subbing and assisting for four years.
Why did you want to become a teacher?
In college, I originally was a business major. I did an Americorps program in Roxbury, and teaching just felt so right.
Cynthia Allen
Job: Bates School, diversion and mainstream teacher, grades one and two
Are you new to teaching?
It's my first year with my own classroom. I worked as an aide the last three years in Marblehead and Swampscott. I'm very excited.
What do you like about teaching?
I just love it. I love working with kids. It's a lot of fun. It's challenging and rewarding. ... They put a smile on my face every day.
Shannon Dullea
Job: Horace Mann Lab School, reading teacher, grades K through four
How long have you been a teacher?
I've been teaching about six years. I was a substitute here last year, and I'll be returning as full time.
What are you looking forward to?
The community, the teachers, the families and the staff are absolutely incredible. It was just a wonderful experience last year, and Salem is a rich, historic town.
Why teaching?
I love teaching the students, and I learn from them, too.
Luke Miller
Job: Saltonstall School, humanities teacher for grades seven/eight
Are you new to teaching?
I taught two years in Vermont. I grew up in Massachusetts and I was tired of rural Vermont, so I wanted to make it back to Massachusetts.
Why teaching?
My parents are teachers. It encourages you to be a lifelong learner yourself, and you get to contribute to your community.
What are you looking forward to?
I like this age group. There is a lot of enthusiasm for discovering the world around them. I get to teach world history and geography. They are champing at the bit to see that world, and I get to be that window for them.
Joann Reich
Job: Bentley Elementary, science integration specialist for grades K-5
Are you new to teaching?
I'm a first-year teacher. I just graduated from UMass Amherst (after a one-year intensive master's degree program).
Why teaching?
When I was 16, I worked at a Girl Scouts camp and from then on, I loved kids — and I like teaching my subject (science).
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