There are 318 teachers new to Lincoln Public Schools this year — including 158 in their first year of teaching. Starting this week, they'll be jumping into a year that will be crucial for schools. The Journal Star met with a few of them earlier this month to get to know them. (Interviews have been edited for length and clarity).
Katrina Barnes
School:Â Arnold Elementary
Grade:Ìý¹ó´Ç³Ü°ù³Ù³ó
How'd you get here:Â Earned teaching degree in May 2021.
On becoming a teacher:Â I was a student at Arnold, and I'm actually going to be working with some of the staff that were there when I was in elementary school. I feel like I've always wanted to be a teacher. When I was in middle school, I actually taught my little sister how to write her alphabet and her numbers. Not only did that inspire me, I would say my teachers at Arnold and growing up in middle school and high school have also impacted me in their own unique way that made me want to take this journey into education.
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On teachers' roles in the pandemic:Â We have to be more adaptive and ready for change, and be able to accommodate our students that lost learning opportunities because of the coronavirus and being on Zoom.
On catching up students:Â I think teachers can just follow through with those accommodations like small groups when we have that extra time in the day to go back and review the parts that they don't understand or didn't quite get from last year.
If it weren't for teaching ...:Â I would be a veterinarian because I also love animals and working with animals.
A teacher who inspired you:Â My third-grade teacher Mr. Wachter. He is at Arnold and he's still teaching third grade.
The one classroom item you can't live without:Â I really need my whiteboard, and I want to have students be able to come up to the board and participate.