SALEM — Thirty-four new teachers are set to walk through the doors next week in the Salem Public Schools.

Yesterday, they took part in the annual Orientation Day, which included a trolley ride through Salem and a visit to the Peabody Essex Museum, followed by lunch at Collins Middle School, where they were greeted by school officials.

"Some people consider teaching a vocation, not just a job, and I am one of those," Superintendent William Cameron told the teachers.

The new teachers received teachers union tote bags with books, binders, first-day checklists and other information.

"It's everything you ever wanted to know about the first day of teaching," said mentoring coordinator Marsha Feffer. "Not that they have to spend Labor Day reading all four books (in the bag), but it's a resource for them."

New Salem teachers are paired with mentors, whom they met yesterday. New this year, the Salem schools are rolling out a second-year mentoring program, called Surviving to Thriving.

"The first year of teaching is all about survival, and the second year is about professional growth," said Feffer, who teaches in the Early Childhood Center at Bentley School.

The Salem News caught up with some of the new teachers yesterday.

Linda Giles

School: Nathaniel Bowditch School

Job: Reading teacher, grades K-5

Experience: Eight years in Swampscott schools; one year in Peabody

Lives in: Danvers

Why teaching?

It's been my dream since I was a little girl, but I was a midlife career change person. I worked in the business world for 25 years.

Really?

At the age of 41, I went back to school and got my degree at Salem State College. You've got to follow your dreams.

What are you excited for?

Working with the kids. As soon as they walk in the door, it's all about them.

Cynthia Watkins

School: Witchcraft Heights Elementary School

Job: Autism classroom grades K-2

Experience: First-year teacher

Lives in: Peabody

Why teaching?

I have always wanted to become a teacher. I raised my family first.

What did you do before?

I worked for 19 years as an aide in Salem, at Witchcraft and Bentley.

Are you excited for your new job?

I'm excited to learn and to explore with them, and to have fun with them.

Marguerite Labrecque

School: Collins Middle School

Job: Grade 7-8 French; Introduction to Spanish

Experience: 37 years at St. Joseph School in Salem, which closed in June

Lives in: Salem

How do you feel about your new job?

Somebody said, "There will be a school that needs you," and I found it. I'm just thrilled about everything.

What's it like to be at a new school after a long career elsewhere?

People have been very welcoming. This is what I had hoped for. It's a tribute to the faculty and staff.

New job?

I will be teaching world language. It will be wonderful.

Molly Robinson

School: Salem High School

Job: teacher in the Diversion and Mainstream program

Experience: Three years in the Lynn schools

Lives in: Lynn

Why teaching?

My bachelor's degree is in therapeutic recreation, and it was a natural progression.

Thoughts on your new job?

The students in the Diversion and Mainstream program are emotionally and behaviorally challenged, and I'll teach them math and science skills so they can mainstream. I'm looking forward to it.

Did you like orientation?

We just got a trolley tour and learned new things about Salem. It was a blast. There are some great resources for the kids.

Paul Kelly

School: Saltonstall, which grows to K-8 this year

Job: Science and math teacher, grades 7/8

Lives in: Beverly

Experience: One year in Cambridge schools

What did you do before?

I worked in the recycling industry for six to seven years; I stayed at home with my kids when they were young; I did my master's in geo-information science at Salem State College, and I did a project for the Nature Conservancy for a few years.

Why did you become a teacher?

It's something I thought about at different levels and at different times.

What are you excited for?

I'm really looking forward to making the K-8 model work. This will be the first grade eight.

Plans for the classroom?

To make Salem a real-world lab. We'll do a lot of earth science this year. We're on the coast, so we'll study our soil, our bedrock, our natural resources.

Brenda Gharabegian

School: Bentley, Early Childhood Center

Job: Speech therapist

Experience: Boston Public Schools

Lives in: Topsfield

You've taught before?

Yes, but I hadn't worked for 11 years, to raise my family.

Why speech therapy?

Everyone needs language; it's the foundation.

Why teach?

To work with children who have difficulty learning to talk and learning to be understood. I'm just excited.

Why work in Salem?

I don't live far away, but I'm not in the area a lot. It's a good excuse to learn more about it.

Stacie Burke

School: Bates Elementary School

Job: Special education, grades 3-4

Experience: Five years of teaching

Lives in: Peabody

Path to teaching?

I switched my major sophomore year of college. I was a mass communications major before.

Why did you switch?

(Salem special education director) Karen Malio, who is a friend, took me to school in 1995 ... and showed me what it's like working with kids and how to help kids, and I really enjoyed it.

Kate Bouffard

School: Carlton Elementary School

Job: Art teacher

Experience: Worked in publishing

Lives in: Salem

What did you do before?

I worked as a graphic designer for Houghton Mifflin publishing for nine years.

Why become a teacher?

I love art and I have a graphic design background. I've always worked with children, and I found I liked that much better.

What are you excited for?

There's a lot of talk about the Haunted Happenings Parade. Peabody Essex Museum has a trash menagerie exhibit about recycling trash into art projects; I'm so excited about doing that because Carlton is a green school.

Gretchen Dionne

School: Horace Mann Laboratory School

Job: Grade one teacher

Experience: First-year teacher

Lives in: Salem

Why teach?

I always had a natural love of teaching. I always felt like I relate well to the needs of students.

What are you excited for?

Meeting my students, definitely. Getting to know them and getting to understand how they work.

Why do you like first grade?

They're still young and just starting out, just learning how to read. I want to give them that first impression of school and make sure it's a good first impression.

Amanda Neitzel

School: Saltonstall School

Job: Grade three/four teacher

Experience: Peace Corps volunteer in South Africa, worked in schools there

Lives in: Somerville

Why teach?

It's really exciting when you get to make an impact for kids. It's important to give back, and this is a way to do that. Everyone benefits when our schools are good.

What are you excited for?

I'm really excited about the people I get to work with. This school is exactly what I was looking for coming out of my master's program.