'This Is Different Than I Imagined': Arlington First-Year Teachers To Start Careers Virtually
ARLINGTON, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Most first-year teachers have a vision of what their first fall in the classroom will look like.
But for those starting their career in 2020, things look different.
Jaylee Holland, Achante Reynolds and Anna Donnell are all first-year teachers in Arlington ISD.
They said they never expected their first jobs to look like this.
"I had my interview in April and it was virtual and back then I was just like 'maybe this will all be over and we can start in person and it'll just be a wild summer,' but now that we are here, it's like this is a little different than I imagined," Jaylee said.
All three teachers, will begin teaching virtually.
They will learn brand new online management systems, on top of getting to teaching.
"[Learning] technology, on top of learning like all the teacher stuff like that's kind of, it's very like overloading." Achante said.
It all comes after a decision to go virtual was made by the district last month. They plan to use a mix of synchronous, and asynchronous learning.
The new teachers say it's nothing like they learned in school.
"I'm learning a new way of creating content and assigning content, and then grading content so it's much different," Anna said.
"The district as a whole is really making sure that we get adequate training or, and that we're up to date with everything we need to know," Achante said.
Regardless, they told me they're taking it one step at a time and are trying to stay positive.
Right now the school district plans to reopen their doors on September 27, but plans to reassess as it gets closer.
