LYON COUNTY - Classes start Monday for most area schools, but teachers have been at school this week for workshops, new student orientation and, of course, preparing their rooms for class.
"Desk tags, locker tags, labels on everything. Probably a dozen things I've labeled," said Cheryl Hoff, Park Side Elementary second grade teacher with 24 years experience. She's also assembled Welcome Back Sacks, personalized with kids' names. "We take a calendar and map out what we'll teach. We've got the whole year mapped out."
"I have their names on desks and their books are in their desks," said Pam Ellingson, first and second grade teacher at Samuel Lutheran School, who's starting her 30th year of teaching.
She's been busy visiting her new students and their parents. Her lesson plan is "pretty much" in place, and "SMARTBoard lessons are done, too," she said, adding, "In my room, they all have a sharpened pencil in their desk, all ready."
Lois Zander, Samuel's pre-kindergarten teacher, has been busy printing "individual books for students," she said. "I have a color book I print off and each one gets; a Minnesota book and farm book."
"Ran off my first book that we'll be doing, 'All About Me,'" said Julie Festerling, Samuel's kindergarten teacher. "Kindergarten will have a new reading series this year. That will be exciting for them and me."
Teachers of older students have different preparations, according to Jan Timmerman, technology education instructor at Marshall High School. Her daughter, Jamie, 9, was setting up document stands in her computer lab and Timmerman was setting up software accounts for her students, as well as "folder bins for each of the kids so they can pick up papers."
Minneota Public School had an orientation Wednesday for new students while new teacher Jessica Rosa and 10-year veteran LeaAnne Bot set their rooms straight.
Rosa was hired to replace the retired Jim Rolbiecki and had to start from scratch in her new classroom.
"I had to transform the room and make it my own," said Rosa, who will teach sophomore geography, junior history, and senior law. "Trying to plan for an entire year in a short summer, which has been harder.
"I came in after an excellent teacher and wanted to make it personal" by hanging posters and setting up bulletin boards, Rosa said, added that she had some help. "The janitorial staff did an excellent job."
"I'm excited about some new technology I'm bringing to the classroom: computerized sewing machines," said Bot, Family and Consumer Sciences instructor, who has been studying the Bernina "sewing computers" manual. "That was new terminology for me."
School starting two weeks earlier isn't rattling any of the teachers and hasn't changed any preparation plans.
"Less time to get ready," laughed Timmerman, a 22-year veteran. "Other than that, no."
"Not any different than any other year," Hoff said. "It's just the getting started earlier."
"Essentially it's the same, but earlier," said Bot, shrugging. "It might make a difference to people who prepare the rooms, but for me, it's basically the same approach in preparing."
"Fan's on a lot more when I'm here. We don't have air conditioning," said Ellingson. "I don't know that I'm doing anything different than normal."
"It just pushed things up," said Zander, who has 16 years experience. "We'll get it."
"We'll be here until midnight Sunday night, but we'll get it done," laughed Festerling, who has 25 years experience.
Bot's looking forward to having "more instruction time before tests." The semester break coming at the beginning of Christmas break "makes more sense," she said, rather than trying to remind the kids of what they've forgotten over break before they take the tests.
"Personally, I think it's a good thing to get more contact days with students before testing," said Rosa. "This will take the pressure off more."
