The enthusiastic ninth graders of Athol High School all rushed into class eager to begin their last class of the day. They were each greeted by their English Language Arts teacher, Josh Talbot. He has a talent for making sure that every student feels welcomed and that they truly belong in his class. The students are so comfortable in Talbot’s class that they feel free to advocate for themselves. They feel comfortable approaching Talbot about issues that are serious or just everyday things.
As the students settled down beside a friend, Talbot said that because it was Friday, they were to interview their friend and find out what their friend’s goals were for the weekend. Then they were to introduce their friend and tell about what the friend’s goal was going to be. Each student introduced the friend. Many were going swimming as it was going to be a “scorcher” on Saturday. Some were going camping, jogging, shopping and just hanging out with their friends. The co-teachers introduced one another: Amy Beth Koziak, who is a co-teacher, was going to hang out with her family as was Talbot, who also mentioned that he and his wife, Jenna, will be traveling to Iceland on their honeymoon this summer.
Talbot encourages his students to participate and sets high expectations for each student. It is important for the students to hear their voice as it is their own voice. He teaches all of the ninth graders and feels very strongly that the students should feel as a family and be close to one another. Many will move into his 10th grade class next year.
Talbot has a collection of flags hanging in his classroom. Many of his students come from bilingual families. He feels that it is very important that each student is heard and is proud of their heritage and beliefs. Each flag represents a student’s heritage: Viet Nam, Peru, LGBTQ, Puerto Rico, Canada, Haiti, Dominican Republic and of course, United States of America. He just ordered a Honduras flag at the request of one of his students. Many students at Athol Royalston Regional School District speak English as a second language. This display of flags is just another way that Talbot exhibits the feeling of belonging in his classroom.
Talbot is very busy after school coaching many sports. He is the head indoor track coach, too. He sits on the Building Instructional Leadership Team. He participates in MTSS, which is a Multi-Tiered System of Support. It is a systematic continuous improvement framework that focuses on the positive educational experience and outcomes of all students. Talbot is working with the administration and staff of AHS to improve a new schedule for next year.
It is very evident that Talbot reaches out to meet all of his student’s needs and interests. He is a true asset to the Athol High School.
Joanne Davidson is the newsletter developer for Athol Royalston Regional School District.