Mrs. Griffiths works on lesson plans for her math classes. Photo by: Abbigail Rose

By Abbigail Rose: It is not often new teachers replace old ones in the middle of a trimester. Mrs. Griffiths has moved in to replace Mrs. McLochlin, the previous math teacher. She has adapted to her new students and new surroundings at Plymouth High School.

First impressions can be important when there is someone new in any situation; in this case, a new teacher at PHS. Though just like the students can have a first impression of the new teacher, she can have a first impression of them as well. “My first impression on Plymouth High School was that it was an outstanding academic school, and the kids that attend here are very fortunate to do so,” she says. “I met the faculty and the administration and was so incredibly impressed with how much they all care for their students and the results they are able to sustain. The students here are taught very well.”

Change can be a difficult thing, especially when that change happens all of a sudden like it did with Mrs. McLochlin moving away. Mrs. Griffiths is that change that students have had to deal with. She explains that, “It is difficult because students are already used to one teacher and must become accustomed to a different one. Sometimes they are unhappy about this.” She adds on that, “However, I have found that the students here have been very open to change and are willing to work with me.”

Mrs. Griffiths becomes more comfortable with teaching students at PHS. Photo by: Janessa Salazar

Before PHS, Mrs. Griffiths had been teaching at college level. To be more specific, she had taught at IUSB, Purdue North Central, as well as Purdue in West Lafayette. She had also taught 8th grade at Brownsburgh Junior High School and more recently at Eastwood Middle School; both schools were in Indianapolis. Not only is she a new teacher at PHS, but it is also her first time teaching high school students.

There is also new technology she needs to work with, which can be difficult to some teachers. “I don’t think I ever took a course in college that integrated technology in the classroom,” she says before adding, “But these were skills I learned over the years as I taught various courses, both at college and middle school level.”

With new teachers come new expectations, new teaching habits, and new discipline methods that students may not be familiar with. Like other teachers, Mrs. Griffiths has her own routines that she goes through with. “I try very hard to form a relationship of general respect with each student,” she says. “It is my hope that students respect myself and my classroom enough to behave in a manner that is appropriate for school.” She adds on later that she does not really carry expectations from the past because to her, that is a form of stereotyping, and she does not generally engage in that.

Teaching can be difficult for any teacher, not just a new one. “The most difficult parts of teaching here has been the planning and keeping up with the grading. When you have students five days, there is a lot of planning and even more grading,” she explains, but teaching is not always hard work and stress. “The easiest part has been getting to know the students. The students here have been so willing to get to know me, so that part of my job has been a breeze.”

It is important for people to make goals for themselves. Goals give one a place to go, and they are not just for students. Teachers make goals for themselves as well. “My primary and most important goal is to help students reach theirs,” Mrs. Griffiths explains. “This can mean many things. This can mean getting an A in my class, this can mean doing well on the SAT, this can mean understanding a certain concept, this can mean having a good year in math. I just want to see my students succeed. Since I am teaching at a high school, I think I have achieved a fairly lofty goal.”
Out of everything that is part of a teacher’s job, Mrs. Griffiths’ favorite part would have to be getting to know the students, hands down. She says that, “The main reason I wanted to leave teaching at college level, even though I love that too, is because you are not afforded the opportunity to really get to know the students as well. I like teaching high school because I am given the chance to truly get to know my students and how I can help them. That is why I went into teaching in the first place.”