Students in the Marion School District won’t be back in classrooms until Thursday, July 27, but school is already about to begin for the district’s new teachers.
The district calls it the “Patriot Academy,” and it is a way for teachers who are new to the district to meet each other, hear about Marion, and learn some of the things they will need to ensure their success throughout the school year.
This is the fourth year Marion has hosted its Patriot Academy. According to Julie Coveny, the district’s director of federal programs, the district started the event to ensure that new teachers have all the resources they need to be successful. Marion is one of the few districts in the state to offer such a program.
“We know the first year of teaching has its own set of challenges, whether you are a first-year teacher or just someone who is new to the district,” Coveny said. “The Patriot Academy is a way to overcome that. We use this event as a way to break the ice, to help introduce our new teachers to the Patriot culture, and to build a cohort of staff members who can support one another through the challenges of the first year.”
A total of 52 teachers will take part in the program this year, set for Monday and Tuesday (July 17-18) at the Marion Performing Arts Center. New teachers will receive district information, learn classroom management tips, take a bus tour of the entire district, hear from keynote speaker Kaylon Bradford, and more.
The Patriot Academy has won wide praise in the past from participants who have said the program is effective at helping new staff members feel welcome and prepared to hit the ground running from the very first day of school.