TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — Classes start at Wabash Valley schools next week, but staff have been preparing for the school year all summer long.
Kindergarten teacher at Hymera Elementary School, Tina Ficklin, said a big misconception is that teachers have the summer off just like the kids do.
“Just as soon as my last school year finishes, I’m prepping for this year throughout my summer”, Ficklin said. “I’m looking at my students, what they need individually, and copying lots of papers, although I am not a paperwork person. I make my homemade playdough.”
Teachers are always thinking of ways to make their classrooms home to the children, but a lot of that comes out of their own pockets.
“You don’t have a budget”, Ficklin said. “For me personally, I try to, I hate to say this, hide it from my husband because he’ll say you spent 30 dollars on Amazon, what did you buy for your classroom this time?”
First year principal Jessica Kamman was a teacher at Hymera for 15 years before becoming principal, so she understands what all staff have to do before doors open on the first day.
“Everything that you see when you walk into the classroom on day one is something that a teacher has prepared on their own time”, Kamman said. “We really aren’t contracted to start, teachers aren’t, until the first day of school.”
Although summer is a lot of extra work, the payoff is in doing what they love for a school that they admire.
“I have been very blessed to teach in Northeast School Corporation my entire career, and I love it here”, Kamman said. “My kids have gone to school here, and it’s just a happy place to be.”
The first day for Northeast School Corporation is next Wednesday, August 6th. For all the back-to-school information, you can visit the corporation’s website here.
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