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Hernando Today

New Teachers Wowed By Welcome

Hernando Today photo by DAVE CASEY

Kathleen Reitz, teacher at Explorer K-8 and former executive director of the Hernando County Education Foundation, explains the benefits of a Florida License for Learning tag to teachers Wednesday at the teacher appreciation breakfast at the Wal-Mart Supercenter on Cortez Boulevard.

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By LINNEA BROWN

Hernando Today

Published: August 14, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - If you're a new teacher, Hernando schools Superintendent Wayne Alexander wants you to have his number on speed dial.

Heck, take both numbers - his personal and work cell. He knows you're bound to get frustrated, and he wants you to know he's there when you need him.

That was what he told 75 new teachers Monday at a luncheon, sponsored by the Hernando County Education Foundation and hosted by Alexander.

"Our job is to support you, and when you get frustrated, there's one person you can call to make sure things get done," he told them. "We're not wealthy, but we're not poor. You should have everything you need."

The luncheon marked the teachers' first official day at their individual schools, followed by a week's worth of events designed to honor teachers before students arrive in their classrooms Monday.

The Wal-Mart Supercenter on Cortez Boulevard in Brooksville also sponsored a breakfast Wednesday morning, meant for all school personnel returning to work.

But it was Monday's luncheon that gave many new teachers their first taste of the district.

"I appreciate that you don't feel like cattle here. Everyone is so warm and receptive," said Carmen Delgado, who will be teaching ninth-grade orientation at Central High School.

She is one of many established teachers who moved to the district from elsewhere, seeking a higher quality of life or because a commute and taxes became too expensive.

Delgado, who previously taught in Broward County, said she never saw the district's superintendent in person, and certainly never received an invite to call him.

"The superintendent giving his personal cell phone number? That's extraordinary," she said.

She recalled attending an orientation with 350 other new teachers when she began teaching in Broward.

"(Broward) feels decidedly more bureaucratic," Delgado said. "It's not as warm and fuzzy and safe. I feel like I'm trusted and respected here."

Mary Bennett, 42, a new math teacher at Central High School, told Alexander she took at $4,000 pay cut to transfer to the district from the Pasco County School District.

While she has an Ivy League education - a bachelor's degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a master's degree from Harvard University - she said she and her family moved to the district for its higher standard of living.

"We moved here to live and raise our kids," she said, and mentioned that she hopes to co-write a technology grant to bring additional technology to students in her classes.

Alexander described the "family" atmosphere of local schools, and ran down the list of opportunities at the district. However, he also recalled that his mentor only answered questions when he came to him, and encouraged teachers to do the same.

"You can call me. You should call me," he told them.

Now in its second year, the luncheon is different from the district's annual kick-off celebration, in which the district used to bring in a motivational speaker for all returning teachers. However, officials stopped hosting the event four years ago due to budgetary concerns.

Reporter Linnea Brown can be reached at 352-544-5289 or lbrown@hernandotoday.com.

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