Cape district teachers prep for upcoming year

As summer comes to a close, teachers throughout the Cape Henlopen School District are finalizing preparations for the upcoming academic year, which for students starts Wednesday, Sept. 3.

“I’m most looking forward to getting to know the students personally but also in the classroom,” said Taylor Gibbs, a seventh-grade science teacher at Frederick D. Thomas Middle School. “I want them to know that if they ever need anything, even if it’s not during class time, they can always come to me. My door is always open.”

On a similar note, ahead of the first day, Justin Cureton, a fourth-grade math and science teacher at H.O. Brittingham Elementary School, said he wants his students to know he sees and values them as individuals first, before the academics. He wants them to know that his classroom is a safe space.

“Connecting with the kids, building those genuine relationships with them, that’s where I feel the most comfortable,” said Cureton, who’s in his second year of full-time teaching after completing Cape’s Grow Your Own Program, which trains paraprofessionals to become teachers. “Once you see the kids and get to know them, waking up and coming to work becomes so much easier, because you know why you’re coming, you know who you’re coming for.”

Courtney Macchione, a fellow fourth-grade teacher at H.O.B., reassured her incoming students that it’s OK to be nervous and to be wrong.

 “We all make mistakes,” said Macchione, who’s in her 11th year of teaching. “That’s how we learn.”

She and Cureton emphasized that even as teachers, they never stop learning, and they appreciate students’ feedback about what’s working and what isn’t.

“This classroom is not just mine; it’s not just about me,” Cureton said. “It’s about all of us. We all have to survive and be effective in this classroom.”

For Aubrey Munn, an eighth-grade ELA teacher at Fred Thomas Middle School in her first year of full-time teaching, this year is about watching her students blossom.

“What drew me to middle school was that kids this age have so many emotions and are so fun, and it’s so fun to watch them learn how to be people,” Munn said. “Seeing how they are from the beginning of the year to the end, and watching them grow, that’s what I’m really excited about.”

Similarly, while Greg Berman spent 14 years teaching high school, he is only in his second year teaching middle school. He teaches sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade business at Fred Thomas Middle. 

“Middle school kids don’t really know who they are just yet,” Berman said. “To be a role model in their lives, to help them figure out who they are, is something I’m really enjoying. Whatever they need, I’ve got their back.

“I want to know what their story is, how I can help them,” he continued. “This is an amazing world, and I’m here to show them that.”