Rookie Teacher> Recent college graduate faces some nervousness as students on first day of school

loading...

At 8 a.m. Wednesday, Ken Worster officially went from being a student to becoming a teacher. Worster, the new science and math teacher at Penquis Valley High School in Milo, looked out over a sea (well, a stream, anyway) of anxious faces in his ninth-grade homeroom, who were looking to him, at least subconsciously, for direction.

Worster, who graduated from the University of Maine in May, had some of the same nerves as his charges.

“I was very nervous this morning,” the Bradford resident admitted. “I didn’t sleep well last night, thinking about today. I got up early to finish some last-minute things, to make sure I was ready.”

When the bell sounded in his science lab, Worster was as ready as he was going to be. He introduced himself to the students, then passed out a fat packet of information and forms. He then walked them through it, stressing the need to quickly return the emergency procedures and health record update forms.

It wasn’t all that long ago that the 22-year-old Worster was one of these students. Most of these kids here were making the transition from the other wing of the school building, Penquis Valley Middle School. Worster had moved from the elementary school in his Washington County hometown of Princeton to the regional Woodland High School.

“It was a very dramatic shift for me from elementary to high school,” he recalled. “I remember what it was like to be a freshman. They’ll have the roughest day, because they don’t know where anything is and they’ll need a lot of guidance.”

Worster will have an advantage that many of his new-teaching peers won’t, because he student-taught last spring at PVHS. So some of the eighth-graders he taught last year will be in his classes this year.

“It’s nice knowing a few names, definitely,” he said. “I’m dealing with six classes, with most students only enrolled in one, so I have to learn 85 to 90 names. It helps to be able to call on one or two. But the downside of having freshmen that I had in eighth grade is that I have to relate to them that the atmosphere has changed, that it’s high school, not junior high.”

Worster is that rare commodity these days – a new science or math teacher – as there is a nationwide shortage in those fields. He knew going in that his student-teaching was in essence a tryout. His predecessor, Virgil Valente, actually put off his retirement for a year, since MSAD 41 couldn’t fill his position. Worster signed a contract in April, even before graduation. (Valente still teaches one course, an Advanced Placement chemistry.)

“I know the faculty, know the classroom, know the materials,” he said, explaining his choice to stay at PVHS. “It certainly made me feel better about the situation.”

From an early age, Worster’s passion has been science. But he’s also teaching math at PVHS, helping to fill a need at the school. His teaching load consists of three courses for college-track students (two sections of chemistry, one of physics) and three classes for non-college-track students (business math, lgebra 1 Section 1, and applied physics).

His outfit on his first day is a white, short-sleeved shirt with a dark patterned tie and brownish-green pants. “My wife set out what I was going to wear today,” he explained. “I wanted to look very professional; otherwise, the students may take advantage of it.” (His wife, Jenny, is also a new teacher, at Alton Elementary School.)

It’s an unusual day at PVHS. Usually classes are held on alternating days, with half on even dates and half on odd dates, and classes lasting 82 minutes. But for the first day of school, students instead get to sample all their courses in 40-minute blocks.

Worster holds low expectations for the first day: “I plan to get through the syllabus, pass out the books, and give them an assignment.”

Worster has to leave the relative comfort of his lab for his first class, business math. He picks up all his supplies, and forges out into the chaos that is school between periods. He arrives at the appointed classroom, only to find that his class has been moved down to another room. If only for a moment, he has the same look as many of the students seeking out where they’re supposed to be.

He finds the new room and prepares as students file in. As they settle in, a student’s voice drifts in from the hallway: “I had to drop seven classes out of eight.” “Now there’s a schedule change,” Worster jokes, to little response.

Worster hands out the syllabus, then takes attendance. The enthusiasm for learning from these students, ranging from freshmen to seniors, is more than a little underwhelming. He then takes them through the ground rules for his class, including respecting the teacher, other students and visitors, getting to class and getting homework in on time, and no rude language or disruptive behavior.

Why lay down the law so early?

“You have to establish some authority, give them realistic expectations to aim for, describe what I feel is a healthy classroom environment,” Worster said. “Teachers have a presence, and new teachers don’t have that yet. It’s important to establish a presence early.”

He then goes through what is expected for coursework, and asks for questions.

“You don’t, like, give a lot of lectures, do ya?” queries a burly male from the back of class.

Worster explained that he plans to have students work on real-world projects, giving them time to practice what they’ve learned in class.

“Studies show that 5 percent of lectures is retained by the average student, compared to 75 percent for practical application,” he expanded later. “I can’t lecture for 82 minutes, maybe for 40. It makes more sense to help the students while they’re there than to lecture at them for 82 minutes.”

Those formalities dispensed with, Worster tackles the next problem. There isn’t yet enough textbooks for both sections of business math. So he hands out a photocopied first chapter of the book.

He gives the students a dozen questions in the math skills section to answer. A short time later, the bell rings, prematurely it turns out. After he vocally stops the stampede and gets students back to their seats, he goes through the questions, first seeking volunteers, then drafting them. He goes to write out a problem on the blackboard, only to discover there’s no chalk.

“Did any of you actually get an answer for four, five or six,” he goads them. “OK, read it to me. It doesn’t do me any good on your paper.”

Students grudgingly start answering, eventually getting into the spirit of things. Then the bell rings, for real this time, and they bolt, some even getting the homework assignment.

Next up is Algebra 1. Worster arrives to discover another snafu, as he and another teacher have both been assigned to the same room. He gathers up his students and heads for the then-vacant science lab. First rule he gives them: “Don’t touch any apparatus.”

He runs through the ground rules and course requirements, then passes out textbooks that can be best described as beat but complete. He assigns 48 homework problems, to much groaning and moaning.

Worster had some of these freshmen last year, and they test him. He cuts through some classroom buzzing with a well-placed “Excuse me.” When one girl complains about having to show her calculations on paper, he patiently explains, “I want to see the work and the answer. I’m just clearing that up for you.”

It’s hard to believe that Worster gave up a possible career in the burgeoning field of computer technology for this. But he’s seeking to pass on his love of science to youth.

He grew up reading books about astronomy, dinosaurs, later computers, anything science-related. For a year and a half, he was a computer engineering major, but he switched to education.

“I want to provide that next generation with that science knowledge that they would need,” he said. “I myself have a real passion for science, and I felt I could teach these kids a lot.”

What will be his biggest challenge?

“Trying to stay separate enough to be an authority figure while trying to relate to them and understand where they’re coming from,” he said. “It’s a difficult balance.”

The first day flies by, as Worster goes through a planning period, lunch, chemistry, physics and applied physics. Finally comes the last period, another section of chemistry.

He takes a different approach with these college-track students. He first tackles the class requirements, then goes through a “Guide to Being a Good Chemistry Student,” a less authoritarian version of his previous ground rules.

He stirs up interest with an example of a chemical reaction that he calls “elephant’s toothpaste.” In a cylinder, he mixes dish detergent and hydrogen peroxide, then adds the catalyst of sodium iodide. Foam gushes out the top of the cylinder, at least briefly perking up the students. He then leads them through problem-solving strategies, with a decent amount of class participation.

The bell rings, the day is over, and Worster finds himself with a sore throat and in need of a nap.

“It’s not any easier at the end of the day,” he said. “I had more energy at the beginning of the day. By the end of the day, I’m more comfortable, but have less energy.”

How would Worster grade himself on his first day?

“At least a B,” he said. “I need to work on interacting with students and getting them engaged with what we’re doing. Also, I’ve got to work on classroom management, keeping it until control, behavior-wise.”