by Aubrey Vacura
As a new teacher this year, Ashlynd McGuigan took a few minutes to reflect on her school year and share some thoughts.
The school year has had its challenges, but McGuigan described it as “really rewarding overall.” According to McGuigan, she has learned that “relationships matter” and that students value having their challenges heard. Connecting with them has been important in building a positive classroom.
Teaching at this school has also shown McGuigan that “she is not alone” in her struggles or successes. It’s been a valuable opportunity to discover her strengths and weaknesses as a teacher.
One of her favorite memories so far is the month spent on a novel unit with the book Wonder. “The students enjoyed reading the book and were really excited for language arts during that time,” she recalls.
Looking ahead, McGuigan says there’s nothing she would change about the year. She sees it as a “learning curve” and is already thinking about what worked well and what could be improved for next year.