New teacher at PHS Mrs. Toni Day .Photo By: Janessa Salarza

After Christmas break Plymouth High School  welcomed a new English teacher  Mrs. Toni Day, who will be teaching  for the rest of this school year. Coming into the system during the middle of the year can be hard, but with the help of her colleagues it makes it easy for her.

Mrs. Day graduated from the Indiana University of South Bend in 2013. “What’s different about starting in the middle of school is that it feels as if you are an outsider trying to come in and be a part of something that already started without you,” Mrs. Day said she has high expectations of her students as an English teacher. She also said, “I expect students to improve their reading and writing skills by being actively involved in everything we do in my class.” Like other teachers, Mrs. Day also has her own way of teaching. “I like to keep it ‘real,’ and I want students to understand why it is important to have strong reading and writing skills when they leave high school and go on to the next chapter of their lives.  I like to be open, available, helpful, supportive, and friendly, but I absolutely do have high expectations for my students.”

Mrs.Day Teaching her 4th hour class. Photo By: janessa salazar

Mrs. Day taught at  John Glenn High School and North Judson-San Pierre Middle School. With teaching at different school corporations, she had to learn and adapt to new policies. There are different rules and policies, “Changing schools often means different policies and rules, which can be difficult to keep track of.” Mrs.  Day said it’s not as hard because she gets help from the staff,  and the students have been good with her.  She said “so far, the staff and students have been terrific.  Ms. Dorland and Mrs. Wezeman have worked together to help me with the curriculum I am teaching and they have also helped me to get to know students and school policies.” In the past teachers have helped her have given her inspiration, “I take inspiration from many people.  Past teachers and professors have inspired me to be the best teacher I can, and writers, performers, students, colleagues, peers, and family inspire me every day to be the best person that I can.”

Students adapting to new teachers may be difficult but Mrs. Day says, “I have tried to make as smooth a transition for the students I can. Of course, change can be somewhat difficult, and I try to take that into account as I bring my own teaching style and personality to the classroom.”Mrs. Day said students here are not different to the students she has taught in the past, “I don’t think students are really very different at all.  This is my third teaching position, and I find that for the most part, kids are kids.  They like to have fun and talk to their peers.  They like to be creative and to succeed. Most of  them appreciate learning and want to do well in school so that they can secure a better future for themselves.”

Mrs.  Day has other things she likes to do. “I like to read, watch movies, listen to and play music, and spend time outdoors.” Mrs.  Day says her family is just a “regular” family. She believes that  they’re a close family. “We have experienced triumphs and hardships together. We like to have fun and hang out and talk together in the evenings and on weekends or go on trips when we can.” Starting in the middle of the year can lead to more hours at the school or even at home working. “Being new, I think, means even more hours working, so there are certainly times when I can’t join my family for a movie or a night out. I do, of course make time to spend with my family whenever I can.”