Earlier this year, The Knight Errant did individual stories on each of the new teachers in our BSM community. Now, it’s time to follow up with those teachers on how their first quarters went.

The BSM English department has a whole bunch of new faces, including Ms. Jennifer Bevington, Mr. Matt Dooley, and Mr. Keenan Faruq. Some others are Señora Bernice Nava in the Spanish department and Ms. Kate Mich ‘95 in the art department.

The first quarter was a big change for everyone, especially for these new teachers. Many of them will be making changes in quarter two. A lot of teachers split up their classes and decided that it wasn’t working for them. “In quarter one, I let them leave at home but in quarter two, they stay in class. That way we are always doing the same things,” Nava said.

Second quarter has, in general, been better for both teachers and students. Although potentially nerve-wracking because the new quarter meant starting over, it also meant getting to know and support additional students. “I do worry for students who might be experiencing more anxiety or depression, especially with sports and other activities being suspended; I want them to know they can reach out to me or any adults in the building if they need help or someone to talk to,” Dooley said.

Other than a completely new group of students, there are other major changes such as class size and new opportunities. As new teachers, they bring their own ideas and ways of running classes. Some teachers have even taken up coaching extra curricular activities. “I started coaching the Knowledge Bowl and it’s been a blast getting to know the (very smart) team members. I’ve also gotten to know our new editorial team at Apotheosis, our literary magazine, and we will shortly begin planning our first issue, which is exciting. If any students want to submit work for publication, they should check out the website and click on the submission button,” Dooley said.

BSM is a completely different environment for some teachers. “I have never had so many students say goodbye and thank you at the end of classes as I have this year. It’s a small gesture, but teachers work so hard to create good learning experiences for our students, so it means a lot to have that recognized and appreciated,” Bevington said.