About 350 educators, some new to the profession, others just new to the county, hear what they're in for.
By REBECCA CATALANELLO
Published July 30, 2003
[Times photos: Dan McDuffie]
Teachers study a pamphlet Tuesday during new teacher training classes at Land O'Lakes High School. The district had about 400 teaching jobs to fill before the start of school Aug. 11. About 50 positions are still open. The district-sponsored "Survival Training" continues today.
Training instructor Silvina Ramsey talks about the qualities that make a good teacher Tuesday in front of a class full of new Pasco County educators. This year's crop of new teachers is o ne of the largest groups in recent years to enter the district.
LAND O'LAKES - In the world of Pasco County teachers, they are the class of 2003-04, and they come in cars sporting plates from Ohio, Maryland, New York, Texas and Florida.
At 350-strong and growing to about 400 or more, the new teachers are one of the largest groups of instructors in recent years to enter the 7,000-employee district at one time, thanks to expansive district growth and a new class-size restriction law.
So, when about 350 of the new teachers packed into Land O'Lakes High School on Tuesday for the first of two days of district-sponsored "Survival Training," they were greeted with enthusiasm and warnings, gratitude and advice.
"You're not going to be able to do everything at your top performance," veteran teacher Sanje Johnson told a small group of 39 Pasco County newbies in one of three breakout sessions held throughout the day.
Prioritize, she said. Learn to organize the paperwork, she said. Find a mentor you get along with, she said.
"This was a means by which we could kind of get them in early, get them exposed to things and oriented to the system before they get in the classrooms and get overwhelmed," said Todd Cluff, supervisor of staff development for the district.
The new hires seem to be a diverse group.
They look like Tim and Shana Mularz, a married couple newly arrived from upstate New York who are both embarking on their second careers at Sunray Elementary in Holiday. Both are taking pay cuts from their previous jobs to be in the classroom.
Or, they resemble 24-year-old Sarah Painter from Orlando, one year out of teaching college at the University of Florida and eager to lead her first classroom at the new Pine View Elementary in Land O'Lakes.
"I'm very nervous," said Painter, who was hired at a job fair earlier this summer. "The idea of being in charge of all these little people is amazing."
New teachers are becoming the norm in Pasco County, where last year 42 percent of the district's teachers had five years of experience or less, according to Lynne Webb, president of the United School Employees of Pasco teachers union.
"You guys have the power," Webb told the group.
Though most teachers don't officially begin the school year until Monday, the district paid participants a $13 per hour stipend to attend the sessions.
Others, such as prospective teacher Jeri McDowell from Illinois, were still in the process of interviewing with the system, hopeful that one of the remaining 50 or so vacancies would be theirs.
"They're supportive of their new teachers," said new hire Shana Mularz, whose first career was in human resources. "They're making themselves accessible to us, so they're eliminating those fears."
Sixteen-year teacher Connie Hines was one of the new hires from a third category: experienced teachers moving from other districts.
Hines, a former teacher of the year from Broward County, said she was encouraged to apply for a Weightman Middle School position after meeting a teacher who works there.
"This is something," Hines said of the induction. "It's all about retaining teachers. When I first started, they just handed me some books and said, "See ya.' I was so lost."
Within seven hours, teachers were introduced to the state's retirement plan, the teachers' union, the district's mission, ethical standards and a how-to on behavior management.
David Salerno, supervisor of human resources, said that while the vacancies have been abundant this year - about two times as great as in previous years - the number of qualified applicants has been great, thanks in part to layoffs in other parts of the country.
While Florida schools have been grappling with budget issues, teacher hiring has been protected.
Still, vacancies exist. Salerno said math, science and special education teachers are still needed. Hiring is expected to continue into the start of the school year, he said.
