There is a beginning to almost everything, whether it’s the morning alarm that starts the day or the school bell that commences a class. Along the same lines, at the beginning of every CDS school year is the morning assembly, and like every other year, August 16 began with the excited chatter of students piling into Dalton Hall. There were many things happening at once, with students searching for their close friends or greeting their classmates, new students awkwardly standing around the chairs, and school faculty preparing mics and wires for the assembly. But as it became closer to 8am, people began to settle down, allowing one thing to catch everyone’s attention: the slideshow being played on the screen of the Dalton Hall stage.
This year, the teachers had decided to create and play a slideshow, each slide containing one old photo and one current photo of each of the teachers. While this functioned as an entertaining distraction to most, it also brought up the questions that had been frequently asked since the end of the previous school year: Who were the new teachers?
Quite a number of students would agree that the end of last year had been a continuing cycle of confusion and concern. With teachers announcing one by one that they’d be leaving CDS, many students, especially the rising juniors and seniors, were left to run around in a frenzy, asking each other for any updates on ‘teacher news,’ such as who else would be leaving and who would be teaching which class.
This so-called ‘teacher news’ is important to students, especially the rising juniors and seniors, because they are expected to choose schedules at the end of each year. And while credit requirements and personal interests are main aspects of decision, the assigned teacher also tends to have quite a large impact on the decision. According to current senior Alice Kwon, “depending on the teacher, the class can turn out to be really different.” She also went on to mention that it “sort of makes or breaks the school year,” as well as her GPA.
The answer to the continuously posed questions and concerns, luckily, were able to be answered as soon as the 2018-19 school year assembly began, as the new teachers were asked to stand up in order to be welcomed by the student body. The assembly was then followed by the introduction of each of the new teachers and their subject.
Among the new teachers are Ms. Taleen Brady, who teaches AP Calculus BC and Applied Math, and Mr. Aaron Gomez, who teaches Grade 9 English. I was able to ask the two teachers a few questions.
Both teachers said that they decided to join the CDS community because they liked what they had seen. Ms. Brady responded that when she was looking for a new job, she “liked how CDS seemed modern and forward focused,” and Mr. Gomez responded that he saw “many dedicated teachers and students” on the school website. He also added that he had been highly impressed with the interview process, mentioning that Ms. Claudia Hong is “the best HR person I've had the pleasure of meeting.”
When asked about how their experience at CDS had been so far, both teachers seemed to be quite pleased. Ms Brady responded that her first month had been great, mentioning that “the students are faculty are so friendly and everyone is really nice.” Mr. Gomez also responded that things had been ‘fantastic’: “I have been impressed with my students level of English, ability to critically think, and the sweet nature of students here. I also think we have staff who are highly invested in the schools; not only teachers, but also admin and other staff members.”
Luckily, both teachers seemed to be quite pleased with their time so far at CDS. Let’s keep this up so that we can make sure everyone has a great school year. And to all new teachers, welcome to the Phoenix community!
Dana Ahn (12)
This year, the teachers had decided to create and play a slideshow, each slide containing one old photo and one current photo of each of the teachers. While this functioned as an entertaining distraction to most, it also brought up the questions that had been frequently asked since the end of the previous school year: Who were the new teachers?
Quite a number of students would agree that the end of last year had been a continuing cycle of confusion and concern. With teachers announcing one by one that they’d be leaving CDS, many students, especially the rising juniors and seniors, were left to run around in a frenzy, asking each other for any updates on ‘teacher news,’ such as who else would be leaving and who would be teaching which class.
This so-called ‘teacher news’ is important to students, especially the rising juniors and seniors, because they are expected to choose schedules at the end of each year. And while credit requirements and personal interests are main aspects of decision, the assigned teacher also tends to have quite a large impact on the decision. According to current senior Alice Kwon, “depending on the teacher, the class can turn out to be really different.” She also went on to mention that it “sort of makes or breaks the school year,” as well as her GPA.
The answer to the continuously posed questions and concerns, luckily, were able to be answered as soon as the 2018-19 school year assembly began, as the new teachers were asked to stand up in order to be welcomed by the student body. The assembly was then followed by the introduction of each of the new teachers and their subject.
Among the new teachers are Ms. Taleen Brady, who teaches AP Calculus BC and Applied Math, and Mr. Aaron Gomez, who teaches Grade 9 English. I was able to ask the two teachers a few questions.
Both teachers said that they decided to join the CDS community because they liked what they had seen. Ms. Brady responded that when she was looking for a new job, she “liked how CDS seemed modern and forward focused,” and Mr. Gomez responded that he saw “many dedicated teachers and students” on the school website. He also added that he had been highly impressed with the interview process, mentioning that Ms. Claudia Hong is “the best HR person I've had the pleasure of meeting.”
When asked about how their experience at CDS had been so far, both teachers seemed to be quite pleased. Ms Brady responded that her first month had been great, mentioning that “the students are faculty are so friendly and everyone is really nice.” Mr. Gomez also responded that things had been ‘fantastic’: “I have been impressed with my students level of English, ability to critically think, and the sweet nature of students here. I also think we have staff who are highly invested in the schools; not only teachers, but also admin and other staff members.”
Luckily, both teachers seemed to be quite pleased with their time so far at CDS. Let’s keep this up so that we can make sure everyone has a great school year. And to all new teachers, welcome to the Phoenix community!
Dana Ahn (12)