A total of about 80 to 100 teachers met in a school auditorium, broken into groups by grade level. Couldn't have survived without their help. I never felt alone or stranded for ideas. I learned that teachers are a generous lot. It's a banner as you enter the town.
Parents are very involved.
Parents get upset if a teacher doesn't call. It's easier for me to call home because I know I have parent support. But all seemed somehow transformed, even emboldened, by their first year teaching. The other striking quality is how privileged these teachers feel in serving children. My first year of teaching has been full of many wonderful surprises.