{"id":1458,"date":"2011-10-09T14:08:13","date_gmt":"2011-10-09T19:08:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/update.midlandps.org\/?p=1458"},"modified":"2011-12-12T08:13:02","modified_gmt":"2011-12-12T13:13:02","slug":"teachers-adapt-to-new-classes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/update.midlandps.org\/index.php\/2011\/10\/teachers-adapt-to-new-classes\/","title":{"rendered":"Teachers adapt to new classes"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Kayla Ouderkirk
\n<\/strong>web editor<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

As the new school year begins a handful of teachers are making the transition into their new teaching environment here at DHS. Changes have been made to switch teachers to new subjects in attempts to fill the shifting gaps in the school system. <\/p>\n

Because of recent budget cuts, teachers such at Brent Chambers, Cammie Hall, David McPeak, and Mark Pickering were asked to accept new positions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese kinds of staffing changes are one consequence of the moving target the state has made school funding into,\u201d English teacher Brent Chambers said.<\/p>\n

While the district has given DHS administration some control over staffing changes, not all teachers end up in a position they are not accustomed to filling. Dave McPeak moved from the Social Studies department to a position as the E-Learning Facilitator. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very grateful to be here and to be in the building,\u201d McPeak said. \u201cBut it\u2019s hard not being in the classes I taught the past three years.\u201d He added, \u201cI think we\u2019re still trying to keep teachers with a job, even if it\u2019s not what they went to school for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though in the past teachers were given their assignments in May, that was not the case last Spring.
\nChambers wasn\u2019t notified until the Monday before exam week that he would be switching to the English department. Having already started the preparation for teaching History in the fall, the support he received from his new department helped him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe veteran English teachers in this building have done more to help me with this transition than I could begin to describe,\u201d Chambers said.<\/p>\n

McPeak on the other hand spent his summer thinking he wouldn\u2019t have a job. He was expecting a period of unemployment after the school laid him off, and on the Thursday before school started they hired him as the E Learning facilitator.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think a lot of students don\u2019t even know I\u2019m back,\u201d McPeak said.<\/p>\n

The first week of school prepared teachers for the year ahead of them and provided an introduction to their new assignments. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was great,\u201d McPeak said. \u201cWhen you think you\u2019re not going to have a job and then you come in here, and see all the kids again and they\u2019re happy to see you it\u2019s a really cool feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to IB Business Management teacher Mark Pickering, the life of the class is structured around the teacher, but focuses mainly on the students.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought my first week was pretty much like I hoped it would be,\u201d Pickering said. \u201cThe best part of it is that the personality of the class makes it fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

These staff members, with the exception of McPeak, have had prior experience in their \u201cnew\u201d field of teaching; it is merely the transition aspect that is sticky. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not so much a matter of change for me, since I\u2019ve taught both business and English classes for about half of my career.\u201d Pickering said. \u201cI\u2019m comfortable with my qualifications to teach the class I\u2019ve been assigned.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chambers shares the same confidence in his qualifications yet is more directly prepared for History.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really enjoying teaching English again.\u201d Chambers said. \u201cReading aloud to students and watching them make connections with literature I feel passionately about is priceless. On the other hand, I have binders full of History materials and I don\u2019t yet have that kind of preparation for my English classes.\u201d <\/p>\n

In addition to the teachers and staff that were affected, students may be impacted by the change as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s weird, because I expect [Chambers] to be teaching History, but I\u2019m in his English class,\u201d sophomore Jessica Miller said.<\/p>\n

Miller appreciates Chambers and respects him as a teacher despite seeing him in a new role.<\/p>\n

\u201cPersonally he\u2019s my favorite teacher,\u201d Miller said. \u201cSo English is better for me because English is my favorite subject, but I\u2019ll always picture him teaching World History.\u201d<\/p>\n

Students and teachers continue to work through the changes while maintaining a positive perspective.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s tough for the teachers with all these changes, but it\u2019s hard for the students too,\u201d McPeak said. \u201cI think it\u2019s best for everyone to have an open mind, and make the best of their situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though classes and subjects may change, the teachers and students stay the same.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to think if I\u2019m doing my job it is not affecting them at all.\u201d Chambers said. \u201cI hope that students enjoy my classes no matter what subject I\u2019m teaching.\u201d <\/p>\n

The comfortably of a classroom is achieved through time. Only time will tell if these changes will benefit students and teachers in the long run.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recent budget cuts force educators to teach unfamiliar subjects<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[35,34],"class_list":["post-1458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-1-news","tag-dow-high-news","tag-news-stories"],"yoast_head":"\nTeachers adapt to new classes - UPDATE ONLINE<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/update.midlandps.org\/index.php\/2011\/10\/teachers-adapt-to-new-classes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Teachers adapt to new classes - UPDATE ONLINE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Recent budget cuts force educators to teach unfamiliar subjects\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/update.midlandps.org\/index.php\/2011\/10\/teachers-adapt-to-new-classes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UPDATE ONLINE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DHSUpdate\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-10-09T19:08:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2011-12-12T13:13:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Update\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@DowHighUpdate\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@DowHighUpdate\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Update\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/update.midlandps.org\\\/index.php\\\/2011\\\/10\\\/teachers-adapt-to-new-classes\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/update.midlandps.org\\\/index.php\\\/2011\\\/10\\\/teachers-adapt-to-new-classes\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Update\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/update.midlandps.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/be39f258dafaaac3e98f5951fe5e9198\"},\"headline\":\"Teachers adapt to new classes\",\"datePublished\":\"2011-10-09T19:08:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2011-12-12T13:13:02+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/update.midlandps.org\\\/index.php\\\/2011\\\/10\\\/teachers-adapt-to-new-classes\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":799,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/update.midlandps.org\\\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Dow High News\",\"News Stories\"],\"articleSection\":[\"NEWS\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/update.midlandps.org\\\/index.php\\\/2011\\\/10\\\/teachers-adapt-to-new-classes\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/update.midlandps.org\\\/index.php\\\/2011\\\/10\\\/teachers-adapt-to-new-classes\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/update.midlandps.org\\\/index.php\\\/2011\\\/10\\\/teachers-adapt-to-new-classes\\\/\",\"name\":\"Teachers adapt to new classes - UPDATE ONLINE\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/update.midlandps.org\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2011-10-09T19:08:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2011-12-12T13:13:02+00:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/update.midlandps.org\\\/index.php\\\/2011\\\/10\\\/teachers-adapt-to-new-classes\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/update.midlandps.org\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/update.midlandps.org\\\/\",\"name\":\"UPDATE ONLINE\",\"description\":\"H.H. 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