Joliet teacher begins second year at Dirksen Junior High

JOLIET — Joe Davies warmed students up for the start of a new school year at Dirksen Junior High School with a pop quiz.

It was also the beginning of his second year teaching.

His seventh-grade classroom prepared for the new year Wednesday by jotting down their schedules and listening to him talk about the district's parent-student supplement – all things that may be dull to them but are important for Dirksen students.

“I will try my very best to entertain you, but then again, my job is to make you learn,” he said.

Wednesday was the first day of class for Joliet Public Schools District 86. Superintendent Charles Coleman said over the summer new employees were hired, maintenance staff have readied each academic building and everyone is "prepared for students to have a successful year."

As Davies goes into his second year teaching, he looks forward to honing his instructional skills. Since coming to District 86 as first-time teacher last year, he’s learned several things about what it takes to manage a classroom.

“There was no way for me to prepare for what was going to come my way other than jumping in,” he said of his first year teaching. “I don’t go out and explain that to my kids, 'Oh, I’m learning on the fly.' But I do explain to them that’s what they need to do to be successful. You need to expose yourself to as many things as possible.”

During the day, Davies teaches several subjects: math, language arts, science and social studies. He also works with students with learning needs during intervention periods, and coaches wrestling and girls basketball.

When he first started teaching, he said the experience was daunting since in the past when he was training to become an educator he worked at the elementary school level.

“It was harder for me to know what to say to the kids … I had to make sure I had that balance of respect and them knowing they can say whatever they need to say,” Davies said.

One of his biggest surprises was how effective it was for him to reach out to students’ parents and former teachers. Once students knew he had parents on board with their education, they took learning seriously.

Iris Winfrey, who is starting her 14th year as a teacher for Washington Junior High School and Academy, said teaching can be overwhelming. One of the ways she manages the classroom is to assign student seating based on behavior and need.

“This is not foolproof. You have to try it out in the beginning. There’s been times when I have to think about moving this person or that,” she said.

Davies said he loves Dirksen and received an “unbelievable amount of support” during his first year from colleagues who made sure he wasn’t overwhelmed.

“I think that my experience was vastly improved due to getting involved,” he said.

One of the ways Davies did so was through sports, a passion of his. By becoming a coach, he was able to draw a shy but academically gifted student out of her shell, and help another student who struggled with behavioral issues.

Davies' advice for teachers entering their first year is to be “very disciplined and be interested.” He’s someone who always has a smile on his face and likes to make teaching fun. But it’s important for students to know he also means business.

“They need to know what you expect early,” he said.