Over 330 new teachers welcomed to the Boston Public Schools

BOSTON - Over 330 excited new teachers reported to Boston College for their first day of training at the New Teacher Institute today, as they prepare to begin their careers in the Boston Public Schools.

The Office of Human Resources designed the institute to instill confidence in the new teachers and inspire them as they prepare to enter their classrooms in a few weeks. School starts on Thursday, September 9 for students in grades 1 - 12 and on Monday, September 13 for students in Kindergarten.

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino welcomed the teachers and thanked them for their career choice.

"I know that teaching is one of the best and most rewarding jobs," he said. "We all remember that special teacher who made a difference, the educator who made us work hard, sparked our imagination and helped us to grow. Now, you all have the opportunity to be that teacher."

The institute will familiarize the new teachers with the operation of the Boston Public Schools with information to assist them on a number of topics including classroom management techniques, professional development strategies and tips for lesson planning that aligns to city and state standard.

This year, there were over 30,000 applications for 350 teaching positions, up from approximately 18,000 applications received last year. The HR office has put a new concentration on the hiring process by allowing prospective teachers to apply on-line and committing staff to work full-time with prospective and new teachers.

Superintendent Thomas W. Payzant echoed the Mayor's welcoming comments and thanked the Office of Human Resources for their hard work leading up to the orientation.

"On behalf of our 60,000 students and their families, I want to welcome all of you to the Boston Public Schools and express my appreciation that you have chosen to work here in the city of Boston," he said. "I know that this job can be challenging but we are here to support you as you educate our students and prepare them for the world after school. Working together, we can ensure that our students are ready to compete in the global economy."

Each new teacher brings an unique story with them, like Lauralee Summer who has written a book about her experience growing up homeless and her subsequent hard work that allowed her to attend Harvard and graduate school at Berkeley or Diammond Cephus who has worked for the BPS for seven years as a behavioral specialist and holds a Bachelor of Arts from UMass-Boston, two Masters degrees from Columbia University and two Masters and a Ph.D. from Harvard University or Rebecca Berger who grew up with a learning disability and used computers to support her education before studying graphic design and spending a few years designing websites for Fortune 500 companies. All three have made a decision to become a teacher and are looking forward to working with students and using their education and life experiences as tools to help them in the classroom.

The two-day orientation will continue on Thursday with additional workshops conducted by staff of the Boston Public Schools.