Bibb County showcases schools, attracting 150 prospective educators

Alejandra Colbert got a taste of what it’s like teaching at Bibb County schools.

“That’s why I came here, because there is a school that was pretty impacting,” Colbert, of Warner Robins, said Saturday at an annual job recruitment fair at Howard High School for prospective educators.

The 38-year-old, set to graduate from Middle Georgia State University on May 11, was a student-teacher at Bernd Elementary in east Macon.

“It’s like a small community,” Colbert said. “They really ... care about their students. They really care about bridging that gap and everybody’s differences and how they can accommodate everybody’s differences. So, I thought, ‘You know, I can make a difference there.’ ”

Colbert, now student-teaching at Lake Joy Elementary School in Houston County, was among 150 who walked through the halls, stopping at each schools’ table to talk to administrators and share their resumes.

At first, Colbert said she was uneasy, “because you come in thinking, ‘Oh my goodness, I’m going into the shark tank.’ ”

“They are so friendly and non-intimidating, which is so awesome,” she said. “It’s not scary at all. I’m actually happy I came.”

Down the hall, a young woman with one year of teaching experience interviewed for one of three openings at Sonny Carter Elementary School.

“We want to know what they know about education,”Assistant Principal Trisha Tinker said. “Because you get a taste of it in education classes and by going and doing practicums and student-teaching, but it’s diving into the deep end when you become a first-year teacher.”

Tinker said it’s crucial for teachers to be able to explain differentiation, how they “reach different kids with different learning styles.”

By morning’s end, Tinker said the school had interviewed about 10 people.

“We’ve had some really sharp candidates come through,” Tinker said. Candidates had been “very prepared, very much aware of potential positions they would be in favor of (and) things that they would rather avoid. But (they) are very much being honest with us ... about their abilities that they can bring to a job.”

Only a few who interviewed for positions at the school had teaching experience, but “for the most part, they’re either leaving college with their education degree or having maybe one year of experience and looking for a position,” Tinker said.

Bethanie Kitchens, 25, was looking for a paraprofessional position.

There are a few elementary schools in Gray, where she works at a day care, but “I was thinking about coming to Bibb County, where I feel like I can expand a little more and stretch my wings,” Kitchens said.

“Jones County has a really good school system, and I’d also like to work there, but I feel there’s a greater need in Bibb County,” said Kitchens, whose mother is a Bibb County special education teacher. “I wanted to come here and extend my helping hand.”

A big draw for this year’s recruitment fair was a $6,000 signing bonus for 14 positions at Northeast High School. The bonuses, paid for with a federal grant, were for teachers of science, English, history, math, technical classes, ROTC, Spanish and physical education, according to a news release from the school.

Schools without any current openings also were represented at the job fair.

“Stuff changes,” said Douglas Stewart, third-grade teacher at Ingram Pye Elementary School. “So, it’s just to have an applicant pool to contact if something comes up.”

This story was originally published February 18, 2017 at 3:52 PM with the headline "Bibb County showcases schools, attracting 150 prospective educators."