The five first-grade teachers at Iola Elementary School felt an instant connection. And after the first full week of school, they’ve already bonded as a team.
On Wednesday afternoon, they gathered to talk about their backgrounds. They laughed frequently as they shared stories like old friends.
Two are new to IES. Another is a para-turned-teacher leading her first classroom.
“I don’t feel like anybody’s ‘new.’ We just built off each other,” Tanya Belinski said. This is her third year at Iola Elementary, though she has 10 years of experience teaching.
Katelyn Walker, one of the new teachers, told a story: “The other day I had a para ask me how long I’d been here. Three days. She’s like, ‘What? You seem very comfortable.’ I am. They’ve made me feel comfortable.”
“We instantly clicked. An instant family,” Andrea Weide, the former para, added. “We laugh a lot. It’s a nice stress reliever.”
“But we don’t want to share every story,” new teacher Dina Blevins cautioned, eliciting peals of laughter.
At the elementary, grade-level teachers work as a team. They meet regularly to plan, share and discuss their lessons and any issues they face.
Most years — and most grades — see many of those teachers return year after year. The first-grade teachers at IES this year are nearly all new, either to the district or to teaching first-graders.
Christy Thompson is the veteran of the group. In her 26 years as a teacher, she’s spent all but one in a first-grade classroom.
“When I first came to the district, I taught with the same group of teachers for many years: Pam Powers, Linda Brocker, Cindy Clark, Nancy Skahan,” Thompson recalled, rattling off names well-known to those who have been with USD 257 for a while.
“The last few years, I’ve had a new team every year. It’s challenging, but every year it turns out great.”
Each of the teachers contributes a different skill set. With this group, Thompson said, their skills complement each other.
“We have so many different talents,” Thompson said. “I think all our students are going to benefit from our experiences and talents.
“From Day 1, this group has said, ‘Let’s have recess together. Let’s do this the same way. Can we plan together? It’s been a long time since I had a team that came together in that way and that fast. And besides that, we have a good time together.”
