CULTURE

BY CORINNE WESTEMAN

CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

They’re going back to school, too — but this time, they’ll be on the other side of the desk.

First-year teachers and their colleagues across the Denver metro area are kicking off the 2022-23 school year this month.

For the past two and a half years, teachers have been on the front lines as classrooms went virtual and returned with masks. They have fought for more recognition and better pay.

Some fi rst-year teachers have experienced some of these challenges as substitutes or student teachers, but it hasn’t deterred them from pursuing the profession.

“You hear all these negative things that people on the outside say about teaching, but being on the inside … seeing all the students grow and making those connections is worth it,” said Laura Hirn of Jefferson County’s Fairmount Elementary.

While the “hows” differ for each fi rst-year teacher, the “whys” are virtually the same:

“I want to be the teacher I never had,” said Jennah Lacy of Prairie View High School in Adams County.

Hirn felt similarly, remarking how “everyone remembers a teacher who made a positive impact” on their lives. She said she wanted to be that teacher for others.

Peter Ferrante, of Overland Trail Middle School in Adams County, described how he pursued other careers before becoming a teacher.

In these other jobs, he always “really enjoyed helping others fi nd what they’re passionate about.” So, Ferrante became a teacher to do exactly that, but full-time.

Likewise, Chelsea Vandurme of Carlson Elementary School in Idaho Springs worked in the mortgage industry, as a coach, and —most recently — as a stay-at-home mom. She also served as a substitute for the nearby elementary schools before getting her certifi cate to teach preschool this May.

“I love working with kids,” she said. “I love … being a part of the community and being the foundation of the school.”

Learning the basics

Being a coach is all about building on a student’s preexisting skillset, but being a preschool teacher is all about

instilling the very basics, Vandurme explained.

Along with colors, shapes, numbers and letters, her job is also helping them learn social-emotional skills, build confi dence, and become more independent.

Carlson Elementary kicked off the fi rst day of class on Aug. 22, and Vandurme expressed beforehand how excited she was.

The Georgetown resident said substitute-teaching at Carlson gave her a chance to get to know the students and the community fi rst. So, once she received her early childhood teaching certifi cate from Red Rocks Community College, teaching at Carlson was the logical choice.

Because preschool can often be intimidating or challenging for students, Vandurme said she wants to make the experience a positive one for younger children.

“I want them to want to come to school,” she continued.

Meanwhile, at Fairmount Elementary between Golden and Arvada, Hirn and her colleagues started classes Aug. 16. Hirn will be teaching music to 450500 students across a threeweek rotation.

Hirn, who lives in Arvada, was a student-teacher at a nearby elementary school, and loved the area and the district. So, in looking for jobs, she felt like Fairmount Elementary would be ideal because of its sense of community and culture.

“I didn’t even know the music room was this big and awesome,” she continued.

Hirn majored in music education at Colorado State University, and could have taught any grade level in K-12. She opted for elementary school because she loved the atmosphere.

“Music just spirals,” she said, describing how what students learn in elementary school become fundamental for later musical education.

Music is the universal language, Hirn said, and she’s seen the kind of connections students can make with it. She hoped to share her passion for performing, saying she hoped to inspire at least one student to pursue a career in choir or music the way she has. eighth-grade language and literature at Brighton’s Overland Trail Middle School, was a teacherresident at the school last year. He was participated in the Denver-based Public Education & Business Coalition to translate his experience in journalism into teaching language and literature.

While Ferrante recognized that not every student will love reading and writing like he does, he wanted to emphasize analytical skills and learning how to inform oneself and argue a position.

The Aurora resident decided to return to Overland Trail because of the camaraderie among the staff and the great student population, saying, “It made me sure I wanted to stay here.”

As for why he opted for middle school, Ferrante said it’s a special time when teachers can bolster students’ confi dence and skills before they go to high school.

“Middle school is a special time,” he said. “There’s so much positive change you can have.”

Coincidentally, Lacy felt the same way about high school. She felt like the age group was a fun one to teach, saying she wanted to prepare them for life after high school.

Lacy teaches integrated mathematics at Prairie View High School, which is near Commerce City. Like Ferrante, she understood not every student will enjoy math. But, she wanted to instill problem-solving skills and a passion for learning, so her students always remember the lessons behind the math.

Lacy, who’s from Parker but now lives in Denver’s Central Park neighborhood, went through the CU Teach program through the University of Colorado-Boulder. She majored in math with a minor in education.

While traveling in Florida, she did a Zoom interview with Prairie View. Even through the computer screen, Lacy felt welcomed and that the school was “a great community to be a part of.”

As a first-year teacher, Lacy recognized there will be challenges to navigate this year and beyond. But, in those times, she plans to reflect on why she’s there.

“We’re preparing the next generation … (and) it takes a certain kind of person to do that,” she said. “It takes a lot of hard work and patience. But it’s important to have that passion to want to be here. Because the kids can feel that.”

Chelsea Vandurme is a fi rst-year preschool teacher at Carlson Elementary in Idaho Springs. Vandurme served as a substitute teacher and coach at Carlson Elementary and around Clear Creek County, which she said proved good experience for gettting to know the students, the school and the community.

PHOTOS BY CORINNE WESTEMAN

Laura Hirn, a music teacher at Je erson County’s Fairmount Elementary, hopes to instill her students with a love of singing and music. Hirn will be teaching 450-500 students total, with class rotating through her music room every three weeks.

Solution

TRIVIA

1. LITERATURE: What inanimate item does the crocodile swallow in the children’s classic “Peter Pan”?

2. GEOGRAPHY: Which

modern countries make up the ancient land known as Thracia?

3. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE:

What is the symbol used in the zodiac sign Libra?

4. ANIMAL KINGDOM:

What kind of animal is in the scientifi c order chiroptera? 5. MEDICINE: What is the Latin notation for taking a medication twice a day? 6. MOVIES: What is the name of Will Smith’s character in “Independence Day”? 7. FOOD & DRINK: Which fl avor is predominant in the liqueur limoncello? 8. MEASUREMENTS: What is 10 milligrams equal to in centigrams? 9. TELEVISION: In which decade is “The Goldbergs” sitcom set? 10. MATH: What is the equivalent of the Roman numeral MCMLX?

Answers

1. A clock.

2. Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey.

3. The scales.

4. Bats.

5. b.i.d. (bis in die).

6. Capt. Steven Hiller.

7. Lemon.

8. 1 centigram.

9. 1980s.

10. 1,960.