Returning Spring ISD teachers Johnny Williams, from left, and Jeanette Love join new and returning faculty for a culture-building session during their first day back at the Wells Middle School campus.
HOUSTON – Aug. 9, 2018 – As students from across Spring ISD get ready to return to school on Aug. 15, their teachers are getting a head start. Teachers returned Tuesday to begin setting up their classrooms, meet with new and returning faculty members at their campuses, freshen their lesson plans, and participate in professional development activities in preparation for the start of the 2018-19 school year.
For many teachers, their back-to-school regimen includes personal rituals that have become an annual part of their preparations for the first day of school.
“You have to set yourself up mentally,” said Jeanette Love, a reading and language arts teacher at Wells Middle School, who likes to spend some of her time in late summer each year reading up on current trends and best practices in education.
“I start getting up like I’m getting ready for school,” said Love, who has spent the past five of her 25 years as a teacher at Wells. “I start getting up at 5 a.m. and getting myself ready. I like to get to school early,” she added, “so I can make sure everything is set up for the kids.”
Other faculty members, like Johnny Williams, agreed. A theater arts teacher at Wells, Williams spent his free time over the summer reading new plays and planning performance opportunities for his students.
“I’m thankful for Spring ISD, thankful for the school,” said Williams, who is entering his seventh year at Wells and his 16th year overall in the classroom. “This is an amazing district to work in. We get a lot of support from our administration. They really do everything that they can to provide for us and make sure we have what we need at our disposal to educate our kids.”
Of course, even while teachers and students were out during the summer, the hallways and classrooms of Spring ISD campuses haven’t been quiet. In addition to repairs and special projects, the district’s operations and maintenance team have been working behind the scenes, getting schools and facilities ready for students and staff.
“The building operations department, like other departments, has a very direct impact on the school-day experience for students,” said Spring ISD Director of Building Operations Dr. Frederick Walker. “This summer, the custodial group has been hard at work deep cleaning facilities for both the children and the adults who instruct them.”
As final preparations continue throughout the district, teachers, administrators and other staff members alike said they look forward to welcoming students next week.
“I’m excited about the kids coming back,” said Love. “We have a great curriculum. We have engaging activities that are going to cause them to want to learn. I thought about this quote: Some people will say, ‘I’ve got to go to work.’ But here we say, ‘We get to go to work. We get to go to work in Spring ISD.’”