New May Moore Teachers Reflect On The Year’s Biggest Challenges

Press release from Deer Park School District:

Nov. 13, 2020

Melissa Greenfield, Lynn Gustie and Alexandra Tucholski are among several new teachers at Deer Park’s May Moore Primary School, who started their careers in the building during an unprecedented time of change. All three recently reflected on what their biggest challenges have been this year as a new teacher.

“In their first year, all teachers face numerous challenges,” said Greenfield. “With the added obstacles that a pandemic presents, this year is unlike any other. The biggest challenge I’ve faced as a new teacher has been managing the expectations that I’ve set for myself. I have found it difficult to give myself the same time to learn and grow that I make sure to give my students. It has been a challenge to remember that this year will be full of brand-new experiences and to give myself the time it takes to navigate them all.

“We have been faced with many obstacles as teachers, administrators, and parents this year,” said Gustie, an ENL teacher at both May Moore and John F. Kennedy Intermediate School. “My biggest challenge as a new teacher is learning to navigate a new district, while simultaneously learning to follow all of the COVID-19 protocols. This is my fourth year as an ENL teacher, but in some ways, it feels like my first. As an ENL teacher, I typically have small groups of students. Under normal circumstances, the students would be at a horseshoe table in close proximity to one another.

Because of COVID-19, we are now unable to do this. It is no longer possible to incorporate partner work and turn and talks because the students must be sitting six feet apart. I have had to change the way I plan my lessons and find ways where I can still allow my students to have social interactions. Sharing out at the end of each group has been a wonderful way to give students the opportunity to talk and interact with one another. Despite the challenges that we may face this year, I am confident that we will become stronger in the end.”

“My biggest challenge this year as a first-year teacher is my determination to be able to switch from an in-person teacher to a virtual teacher overnight,” said Tucholski. “This is a reality that other teachers in the district have already faced. I have created Google slides for every subject area and implement them into my daily school routine. If and when we ever have to switch to distance learning, I feel prepared to have a successful transfer. I’m grateful to work for a district that has been forward-thinking on technology. Long before the pandemic, our IT director, administration and school teachers have encouraged the use of technology throughout our daily routines and academic areas. There is no way that distance learning can take the place of being in a real classroom, but in times of crisis, I am grateful that we are able to equip our families with the tools they need for their child’s learning to continue to grow.”

This press release was produced by Deer Park School District. The views expressed here are the author's own.