A record 51 teachers attended the Summer Institute for New and Early Career Teachers at the Hanover School Division this week.

Assistant Superintendent Rick Ardies says their main focus during this year's summer institute was the deeper learning project. Ardies notes the three-day institute is not mandatory but comments from teachers are encouraging and it helps new teachers prepare themselves to do the best job they possibly can.

Teacher Eden Jamieson graduated from university in April and says she is excited to begin her first full year of teaching.

"I think they're doing a really good job at showing us the values of the school division and then how to incorporate them in our classrooms with all of our different subject areas and expertise. So, just how to take our knowledge that we learned in school and what they expect of us and then bringing that together into the classroom to be successful."

Jamieson will be teaching Grade 9-11 dance as well as Grade 10 English at Steinbach Regional Secondary School.

"I think I'm just really looking forward to meeting the kids and getting to share my passion for dance with and then also see how we can incorporate that into other areas of their life and create a really whole high school experience for them."

Teacher Julia Hiebert has been teaching full-time in Thailand for the past six years and says what stood out to her during the Summer Institute was how passionate the staff is about education.

"Everyone from the superintendents to the learning coaches, it's so clear how genuine they feel about everything they're talking about. I think that no matter how long you teach, it's important to be reminded of why we do what we do, how important what we do is, and how much of an impact we have on children."

Hiebert notes she was able to grow in varying levels of communication during her time in Thailand.

"It was 100% EAL, so I think one of the most important things I learned out there was communication. I was teaching Grade 1, so you couldn't have a full on conversation with a lot of my students. You had to draw pictures, you had to use body language, you had to use tone of voice, you had to act. So, you learn the importance of becoming in-tune with what your students need as opposed to trying to foist anything of yourself upon them."

Hiebert will be teaching a Grade 2/3 class in Blumenort and says she's looking forward to being able to communicate with her students in English again.