Schools
New Teacher Prepares for First Day on the Job
Brittany Francowiak has five years of schooling and fellowship experience which she hopes will help her budding career.
Wilde Lake High School Assistant Principal John Seibel says a teacher’s first day is like driving a car alone for the first time.
“You know all the technical things to do and you’ve had practice, possibly years of it, but now you’re putting everything you know to the test all by yourself,” Seibel said.
This week, the Howard County Public School System welcomes new teachers to the county and to teaching altogether.
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Among the three brand-new teachers joining Wilde Lake High School this year is Brittany Francowiak, 23, a University of Pittsburgh graduate who will teach two sections of Gifted and Talented biology and three sections of Introduction to Ecosystems.
Francowiak set her sites on entering the education field several years ago.
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“As a high school student I was very fortunate to have dedicated teachers who looked out for their students and served as mentors, and I want to have that same impact on teenagers as a teacher today,” Francowiak said.
In five years of study, Francowiak earned a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences and a Master of Arts in Teaching Secondary Science Education. Over those years, she participated in undergraduate research, taught research methods classes to high school students, and worked as a mentor at an all-girls public school in London.
Francowiak received a five-year teaching fellowship that rewards first-year teachers with networking and development programs that amount to $150,000 over the first five years of the recipient’s teaching career.
The fellowship, provided by the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation, is awarded to first-year teachers in the fields of biology, math and physical science across the country.
Francowiak has already reaped the benefits of her fellowship, well before classes start Aug. 29.
"During the summer meeting for the Knowles fellows, we discussed things from grading to creating a classroom environment to adapting to a new curriculum,” said Francowiak.”
She also hopes to implement some unique classroom programs into her teaching, including a class or two with the Virginia-based Partnership for Research and Education in Plants.
Like any new teacher, Francowiak is excited for her new career but also has some anxiety. “I look forward to creating my own classroom culture, getting established as a teacher and having some great new experiences.”
