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PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — A homey feel washes over anyone who walks into Sheila Miller's portable classroom at Bellview Middle School.
Curtains and dozens of other artsy accessories, such as a "Breakfast at Tiffany's" Audrey Hepburn poster, hang from the wall. Students sit on a dark leather couch, multi-striped loveseat and chairs not attached to a desk. The English/language arts teacher supplied all of the decorations and the furniture in the room, with the exception of a filing cabinet and a couple of book shelves, in an effort to ensure her students feel comfortable in their surroundings.
Escambia County School District hired Miller last May at its Teacher Fair. The Milton High School graduate ached to return home after teaching the previous 10 years at Sunset Elementary in Georgia. Miller said her mother sent her a picture of a story in the Pensacola News Journal about the Teacher Fair, and from there, she communicated with public information coordinator Kim Stefansson to ensure she arrived with all of her certifications in place.
Miller walked into Washington High for the Teacher Fair and spotted what she estimated to be about 1,000 people. She worried a bit about all of the competition, but her nerves calmed after her initial interview with the Bellview assistant principal. The middle school staff interviewed her a second time in the afternoon, and Miller walked out of the Teacher Fair with a job that nine months later is living up to her wildest expectations.
"There were four places I was supposed to interview, but only two of them happened for various reasons so I know I'm where I'm supposed to be," Miller said. ". I cannot say enough wonderful things about my team and the school. I love it here. The students are fabulous. I've got writers, readers, sports kids. I love them all."
Bellview Assistant Principal Tara Palasciano speaks just as glowingly about Miller. Palasciano describes her as a wonderful addition to the school.
The School District is in search of the next crop of Millers. That recruitment is underway with its team visiting colleges for qualified candidates and preparing for the Teacher Fair on Saturday at Washington High.
The 10-month salary for a first-year teacher with a bachelor's degree is $36,446, an 11-percent salary increase over the past four years. A first-year teacher with a master's degree earns about $39,000.
Marian Torrence, head of teacher recruitment, visited Mississippi College earlier this week as the first of their 25 stops. She said she secured what she considered commitments from seven potential teachers.
"We're just excited about the fact we can talk to students now on their college day and get qualified, great teachers who want to come to our School District and work," Torrence said.
The School District covets teachers from early childhood through high school. Torrence said there is a priority to hire teachers who specialize in reading for all grade levels and those capable of teaching English, science and mathematics at the middle-school and high-school levels. The School District is in search of guidance counselors, too.
Escambia Superintendent Malcolm Thomas is optimistic the district will hire 200 to 300 teachers through the upcoming Teacher Fair and its accompanying hiring event.
Last year, the school district held only one Teacher Fair and that served as a job interview. The school district changed the format this year. The purpose of the fair will be to provide a slew of information on how to become a full-time or substitute teacher in the district.
"We have a lot of people who I talk to regularly that will say, 'You know I've always thought about it. I've got a degree. I wonder if I could use it to teach. What do I have to do for that?' This is really that opportunity," said Elizabeth Oakes, director of personnel services. "This is a chance they can come and talk to all of those specialists who know what tests they need to take, what they could teach currently, or what they could go take some examines for and become eligible to teach."
Oakes said work experience among candidates is weighed in, too, particularly for those interested in teaching at career academies.
Candidates who follow through with the requirements discussed at the fair will then be invited to a May 7 hiring event.
"They'll have a contract in their hands when they walk out," Thomas said.
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Information from: Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal, http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com
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