As you may have noticed, many beloved teachers retired last year, from Ms. Hammond, to Mr. Spitz, to Mr. Hessler, so many so, that they took up two pages in the yearbook last year. Students may have cried when they left, but now it’s time for the new teachers to have their chances to thrive.

Out of a few new teachers, I decided to sit down with Ms. Timko, to see if her transition into teaching at Lenape so far has met her expectations and if it is as difficult to start a new job as it is to start a new school or grade.

What did you do before coming to Lenape? Did you work as a teacher at a different school?

“Actually, this is my first year teaching. I went to Rowan for five years, and I just graduated last spring, and now, here I am.”

Which classes are you teaching this year?

“I’m teaching Algebra 1 Support Lab, Algebra 2 CP (college prep), and AP Calculus BC, so I have a pretty wide range of classes.”

Has working at Lenape been how you expected? 

“Everything has definitely been extremely busy, and I have absolutely no social life, haha. I’m always doing work, planning for my classes, but I know that the first few years teaching are always going to be an adjustment. I have to make my own lessons and tests and general plans for the year, so it makes sense. But, everyone here, between my kids and colleagues, have been great! In fact, the environment here at Lenape overall is great.”

How has your first month been? 

“Everything has gone pretty well so far. In addition to teaching each lesson, I’ve spent the first couple weeks setting the tone for the year, making sure that all of my students know that my room is a safe space. I wanted to start this year getting to know my students and letting them get to know me, so we can establish that trust.”

Is Lenape like the high school that you went to?

“They are actually extremely similar. I went to Hillsborough High School — about an hour and a half North from here — and both of these schools feel very similar. They’re both pretty big, Hillsborough had over two thousand students, and both schools seem to be very centered around sports and school spirit.”

What inspired you to become a teacher?

“My high school math teacher actually inspired me to become a teacher. He saw the best in me and pushed me to do my best on assignments and to do research on my own, and I actually learned a lot about myself through that experience. After I had his class, I knew that I wanted to be a teacher to help people in the same way: to help them learn to enjoy a subject and to take that knowledge with them outside the classroom. I want them to be able to find themselves, like I did.”

Is there anything else you wanted to say?

“Yes! I’m cannot wait to dive right into the year! I am super excited to be here at Lenape, to teach, to coach, and to be an advisor for different activities. I hope to be able to guide and advise my kids, as well as to be their math teacher.”