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Teachers gear up to start the new school year

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GMCS welcomes them with memorable orientation

“New Teacher Orientation” kicked off Aug. 3 at the JFK Middle school auditorium to welcome a whole new batch of teachers awaiting to teach in the Gallup McKinley County Schools district.

Superintendent Mike Hyatt welcomed over 100 new teachers to the district as well as other board members in the auditorium. A group of eager teachers from the Philippines were introduced and were jokingly told of the “Gallup” idioms such as frybread, red or green chili, and the flea market.

Several departments of GMCS were introduced as they told the teachers what their departments do and how they would be a great resource to everyone. This included a breakdown of how each department works with a sense of knowing the staff will be there for all the teachers.

Numerous door prizes were given out, donated by local merchants. More than 20 local vendors were on hand displaying their booths with information related to education.

When asked how the new teacher orientation went overall, most teachers felt it did its job in welcoming them to the area.

New GATE teacher (Gifted and Talented Education) Krysten Beard, has since started her teaching job at Red Rock Elementary, found the orientation to be well received and welcoming.

“The new teacher orientation was very well put together,” she said. “There was a lot to do for check in, but I thought it ran very smoothly. They seemed to be well organized and the introduction of the staff was very helpful to know who to turn to for certain questions.”

Beard who has been a substitute teacher for the past seven years says she can’t wait to start teaching and welcomes the challenge. She says she will enjoy working with the students knowing that every day will be different.

“The students are full of many surprises and never cease to amaze me.” she said.

With orientation and the welcoming of the teachers, other issues were of concern with the teachers such as safety. Beard says safety should be looked at repeatedly while making those changes for the welfare of the children.

“During this day in age, safety is one of the best concerns. Every school has a safety plan, it should be continuously revised and ensure all staff and students know what to do in the time of a crisis,” she said.

Although most of the teachers coming into this field have gone to school in hopes of becoming a teacher, there were a few that simply wanted to change their current career and delve into the education field. Such as new fourth grade teacher Deon Thomas, from California. His prior career was in computer programming. Thomas says the challenge was no longer there, as it became tiresome, and he felt a new change was in order.

“I had been putting in applications here and there and one of my friends brought the idea up to me to become a teacher,” he said. “In my wildest dreams, I never had an inkling to become a bona fide teacher, but the more I thought about it, the more I began to accept the idea. The idea of molding new minds and giving these kids hope seem to make my decision easier, so here I am, and I feel this decision is not about the money, but what I can do to help another human being out far outweighs it.”

For more information on becoming a teacher or substitute, call (505) 721-1000 or visit www.gmcs.k12.us

By Dee Velasco
For the Sun