My First Year Teaching in D135 - A Teacher's Perspective

My name is Tammy McMahon, and this is my first year in Orland 135. In July, I accepted the position of Resource teacher at Liberty School. This is my 22nd year of teaching so it was scary to make another change in my teaching career at this point.

From the first time I met with Kristin [Beeler] and Mike [Hawrysio] for my interview, I felt like my educational philosophies were a perfect fit with the vision they have for Liberty School, and education in 135. I was completely impressed with 135’s level of communication, onboarding process, and training that was offered prior to the school year starting.

Once I met the staff at Liberty, I felt immediately welcomed and that I would be a good fit for the special education team and my position. I feel like the District, administration at Liberty, and my colleagues do their very best to make information easy to find, answer questions quickly, and are always willing to collaborate and problem solve with each other.

My introductions and continued training on district expectations, grade level curriculum, and use of technology in the classroom have been very relevant to staff and there is a strong sense of professional community. My experience has remained consistent throughout the year and I hope to finish out my teaching career in 135 at Liberty.