This year at Friends, three new teachers joined the faculty: Lauren Gutstein, who teaches English; Jason Rauscher, who teaches Biology and Environmental Science; and finally, Katherine Zipin, who teaches both chemistry and physics. In their first few weeks at Friends, they have faced challenges and have had exciting experiences, different from where they taught prior. They all express excitement to teach here, and they all deserve a warm welcome to Wilmington Friends. All three teachers agreed that the best part has been meeting and getting to know everyone, students and faculty alike. “It’s been very exciting, and all my colleagues and students have been great,” said Zipin. “I really liked service day and getting to know another advisory.” Gutstein added. All three teachers also agreed upon the biggest challenge: the rotating schedule. “There are always a hundred things going on at the same time, and it’s a little overwhelming. The hardest part has been balancing everything,” Gutstein said. “In addition to the schedule, all the meetings and special events like advisory are confusing,” Rauscher said. Even through all the confusion, Rauscher clearly expressed his happiness in teaching at Friends: “I have really enjoyed my first weeks at school.” The teachers also described where they had worked or taught before coming to Friends. Gutstein and Rauscher have both taught in foreign countries. Gutstein returned back from teaching in Kazakhstan just before the school year started. She was there for three years teaching English to the students. Rauscher taught at the University of Puerto Rico, and he also worked in Colombia for three years as a science teacher. He has been back in the United States for a while, teaching at Swarthmore University. While her teaching experiences have not extended beyond the U.S., Zipin has taught physics at a boarding school called Brooks in Massachusetts; this will be her fourth year teaching. The Friends community is so glad to have these new teachers and hopes that they enjoy their experience at Friends, despite the challenging, busy schedule. When asked about what attracted them to Friends, Gutstein and Zipin spoke of their interests in being involved with a Quaker school. “I was interested in coming back to the Philadelphia area, and was drawn to this school in particular because of the Quaker aspect,” commented Zipin. Rauscher found out about the school after he moved back to America from Colombia. When he heard about a job opening at Friends, he jumped at the opportunity. Gutstein found out about the job while she was still in Kazakhstan through a job fair, though she had known about it from before when she lived in the Philadelphia area. All three teachers lived in the area before moving to other parts of the world. The new teachers also recognized the differences between Wilmington Friends School and other schools where they have taught. Gutstein’s recent work as an English teacher in Kazakhstan led her to notice several differences in culture: “Here at Friends, things are less formal. In Kazakhstan, when a teacher enters a classroom, all of the students stand up and say, ‘Hello Teacher.’” She added that she was impressed with the library here at Friends. Rauscher expressed that the culture in America is greatly different than in Colombian culture. “Ever since I moved back to America, I have been teaching at a college. However, teaching college students is very different than high school students.” Zipin is also new to the high school routine, having taught at a boarding school prior to coming to Friends. “Being at a day school is very different.” She felt that despite the fun involved with living at school, it was a lot of work and always busy. The teachers also gave insight into what they saw in their teaching career for the future. “I just really hope to improve my teaching,” said Rauscher. Zipin continued, “At this point I’m not much of a long range planner; my main focus is on tomorrow.” Gutstein concludes, “I hope to be able to get to know everyone and be part of the community.” Overall, the new teachers are having a great first few weeks. Hopefully, they are not too bogged down with work to take in the Friends school community around them. The student body wishes them the best of luck in their career here at the school and hopes that they get the rotating schedule down soon.