[ad_1]
WEST NORRITON — Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Khalid Mumin visited Norristown Area High School on Tuesday and was inspired by what he saw.
Mumin spent the day traveling to several school districts, stopping in Montgomery County as Norristown Area School District welcomed back its staff less than a week before the start of the 2023-24 academic year.
“We have teachers who are committed to serving in Norristown,” Mumin told MediaNews Group, adding “they are here because they want to be here and they have the head-and-heart alignment to meet the needs of the children here in Norristown. It’s exciting.”
Nearly 8,000 students from Norristown as well as East and West Norriton townships attend a dozen schools in the district that employs more than 1,000 staff members.
During his speech for the ceremonial opening, Mumin sought to empower those in attendance, stressing the importance of the role they have and their impact on students’ futures.
“The teachers have to be passionate and motivated, meet those students where they are, and say ‘you have the capacity to change the world,’” he said. “You have the capacity, and believe it or not, students believe it. I’m one of those students that did.”
Speakers share experiences
The school district’s welcome ceremony featured musical performances and speeches. Among those was Assistant Superintendent Yolanda Williams, who shared personal anecdotes from early in her career in New Orleans. She then posed a question to everyone in the room, emphasizing the need to find their own “why” for teaching.
“Why do I do this every year? It’s for the students,” Williams said.
Human Resources Director Tanya Festa-Piedra spotlighted the district’s new hires. She noted how the 2023-24 school year budget included 20 new positions. When new teachers were asked to stand, the high school auditorium filled with the sound of applause.
‘First year isn’t easy’
Mumin offered some words of wisdom to these new teachers and explained how the “first year isn’t easy.” He implored them to “have the strength to persevere.” He recommended they “lean on your veteran teachers and learn how to take care of yourself.”
Mumin reflected in his remarks on his own journey, which started as a student recalling a teacher named Mr. Smith who made an impact on his life. Mumin went on to attend Shippensburg University. He shared his early teaching struggles as he transitioned from student to teacher, and how he kept moving forward.
Acclaimed educator
Mumin gained ties to Greater Philadelphia as he progressed in his career, previously serving as superintendent of Reading School District, one of the poorest in the state, and Lower Merion, one of the wealthiest, before ascending to the state’s highest position in education. While at Reading, he was named Pennsylvania Superintendent of the Year in 2021.
“The key as an educator is understanding how great your influence is, and students, you have to meet them where they are,” Mumin said. “You have to meet them where they are, which means you have to establish strong relationships. They have to feel as if they belong in your classroom, in your school. They believe in you. You have to have great authenticity.”
Cultivating those relationships is paramount for teachers, Mumin said, saying the role in a student’s life could span from “friend” to “counselor” to “parent” to “confidant.”
“You’re going to be everything to these children. Please embrace that,” he said. With the weight of the responsibility of teaching, he added, “embrace that you have the capacity to change lives.”
Ready for first day
The first day of school for Norristown Area School District students is set for Aug. 28. As Mumin visits schools, he said he emphasizes the need for teachers to get ready for what he hopes will be a great year.
“It’s all about preparing for the students to enter the building, to be excited about learning. Norristown is no different,” Mumin said. “… It’s a beautiful thing to be able to engage with educators that have that passion, that veracity and … they have that blood in their bones to do this work because you can’t see it yet. They are investing; they are the consummate investors in potential.”
Mumin wished teachers and staff luck and had a few parting words for them as they prepare for the new school year: “Good luck,” “break a leg,” “get it done,” and “believe you can do great things.”
[ad_2]
Source_link
