New teachers prepare for first day of school
By Elizabeth Coe
As summer winds down, it's not just students who are scrambling to get everything ready for the first day of school.First-time teachers are busy preparing for Sept. 2 as well, and they feel the same back-to-school jitters as their students.
"I'm very excited and stressed out at the moment," said Erin Hernley, a new fourth-grade teacher at Ball's Bluff Elementary in Leesburg. "I'm more worried about getting the classroom ready than I am about teaching."
Hernley, a 2002 graduate of Park View High School and recent graduate of Radford University, is one of 552 new teachers this year in Loudoun County Public Schools.
She said with less than a week left before school starts, there is still a lot to be done.
"It's stressful because I want everything to be perfect," she said, "and that takes a lot."
Just down the hall, fellow fourth-grade teacher Megan Buggy is also busy decorating her classroom and mentally preparing herself for the school year.
"We've been in our rooms doing a lot of arts and crafts," she said. "I want to be creative and use a lot of innovative bright colors and things."
Buggy, who graduated from Stone Bridge High School, is lucky. She has help from her mom, a teacher at a private school.
Nerves are a part of the preparation process, Buggy said, but she's more excited than anything else.
"As far back as I can remember I used to play school," she said. "I'm definitely nervous since I'm a new teacher, but I love teaching and I love building relationships with my kids."
Buggy will have 21 students in her class this year. She is looking forward to meeting her students and their parents at the school's open house Aug. 29.
Jill Eckl, a new second-grade teacher at Hillside Elementary, will have 23 students in her class.
At 40, Eckl is switching to a career in teaching after working in business.
"I've always wanted to be a teacher," she said. "I have those natural nerves, but I do have a wonderful mentor, so that's been great."
Eckl, like many other new teachers, does have experience as a substitute in Loudoun schools.
She said the other teachers at her school have made settling in much easier.
"It's fun," she said. “I have a lot to learn, but I'm willing to learn. This is a long time coming for me."
Contact the reporter at ecoe@timespapers.com