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The first payroll day for Jefferson County teachers is Aug. 5, but about 200 of them decided to get an early start.

On Wednesday and Thursday, 72 brand new teachers and 124 teachers moving to Jefferson County classrooms for the first time met at Gardendale High School for Jefferson County teacher orientation.

“I thought it was great to get to learn with other teachers. I got a lot of good ideas for my classroom,” said Garrett Hutchinson, a Spanish teacher who will be working at Pinson Valley High School.

Nez Calhoun, director of public information at the Jefferson County Board of Education, said the teachers attended the training without compensation.

“The training was voluntary. But, the thing is, any professional teacher would want to be there to learn what they will be getting from the district, the tips, the suggestions, the basics of what they need to know to be successful,” said Calhoun.

The trainees were taught Jefferson County Board of Education curriculum, state education standards and English as a Second Language (ESL) updates.

“I liked hearing stories from other teachers about their classrooms, said Hutchinson. “We learned how to help our kids.”

Dr. Betsy Rogers, 2003 National Teacher of the Year, began the training with a keynote speech. She said teachers should consider their profession a practice like doctors and lawyers do, and that they should be a voice for both their students and their profession.

“The best example a teacher can set in a classroom is to be a learner, themselves,” said Rogers during her speech.

Calhoun said the school was chosen because of its accessibility (thanks to Gardendale’s proximity to highways) and because the school is new. Dr. Jennifer Maye, director of professional learning, presided over the training.