New Teachers Prep for Their First Test

Ashley Humble, one of 524 first-year teachers joining the Prince William system, sets up her room at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School. (Photos By Joel Richardson For The Washington Post)

Walts described the evolution of teaching and the need to embrace new technology and hands-on learning. He discussed the school system's strategic plan, which includes ensuring that the 73,000 students in the district's 88 schools meet high standards of performance.

Teachers also heard from Freeman A. Hrabowski III, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He said teachers are leaders who must find innovative ways to keep students' attention.

"Teachers touch eternity through their students," Hrabowski said his mom would always say. "You can never not lead; you must always give off energy and have a positive face, because someone is always watching."

After the orientation session, Humble and Gesotti spent two weeks meeting with educators, learning about curriculum guidelines, safety procedures and school rules. They took professional development classes and had a luncheon at their school to get to know staff members.

The time flew by, Gesotti said, and by Thursday, she was feeling the pinch to get everything done.

"I'm pretty stressed out right now, because my room isn't done and I've had so many meetings, it's overwhelming," Gesotti said. She said she had slept about five hours a night. "I've been staying up late trying to absorb all the information. We've gotten about a million papers, which is good; I just have to keep everything organized."

While Gesotti was still piecing her room together, Humble finished hers, in part, she said, because she had less decorating to do.

The brown paper that covered the floor now resembled a tree trunk on Humble's wall. Her theme, "growing with music," was plastered across the board, with musical notes resembling pink and purple flowers. Her freshly cleaned rug sparkled, and the instruments, including African drums, xylophones, maracas and pianos, were in their places.

Lesson plans were done for the first week, although Humble said she still needed to work on her "teacher voice" and figure out how to memorize the names of the almost 500 students at the school.

"A teacher asked me if I had the vibe yet; that vibe you get when you walk into your own room and it feels like your room," Humble said. "I told her 'Yeah, I have it.' Now I'm just waiting for the kids to show up."