Welcome to the first day of school, teachers.

More than 30 teachers new to Austin Public Schools gathered inside Austin High School Monday for the first day of new teacher training, a two-and-a-half-day crash course in district policies, procedures and resources.

“We’re just trying to give [new teachers] a general overview of the district,” said John Alberts, educational services director.

 

These instructors come from all walks of life, from college graduates to 30-year veterans. They got an overview of the district’s demographics as well as information on resources and teacher evaluations in the morning, followed by a walkthrough of the district’s technology in the afternoon.

“It’s exciting. [Austin’s] smaller than what I’m used to,” said Courtney Nelson, incoming AHS special education teacher. This is Nelson’s first job as a teacher after graduating from Winona State University in May, where she student taught at larger schools. Nelson will be working with Developmental Cognitive Delay and Learning Disability students.

Plenty of incoming instructors were excited at how the community seems to value education.

“For the voters to approve new facilities here means a lot,” said Brad Mariska, new AHS band director, who taught in Pine City, Minn. for eight years before coming here.

“It’s a very educationally-oriented community,” Cindy Owen added. Owen is another incoming AHS special ed teacher and is also the new AHS Girls Softball head coach. Owen previously taught at Heron Lake-Okabena Public Schools and is coming to Austin with her husband, Tim, who will teach social studies at AHS.

District administration were on hand to discuss everything from teaching to a diverse group of students to teacher mentoring and other resources.

“There’s lots of support,” said AHS Principal Brad Bergstrom. “You’re not here on your own.”

Though the new teachers will spend Tuesday and Wednesday learning more about Austin schools, many of them feel ready for the classroom now.

“We’re excited to be here,” Mariska said.