As the falcons returned from winter break, they may have noticed that room 302 had a new, fresh, and exciting voice. As a student of her’s myself I am very proud to introduce our brand new English teacher Ms. Natalie Devlin!
Ms. Devlin currently lives in Somers, Connecticut, although she grew up near Springfield, Massachusetts. She graduated with a Bachelors degree in Education along with a Masters degree in Secondary Education and Teaching from Eastern Connecticut University.
Before coming to Xavier, Ms. Devlin was a substitute teacher at Stafford High School, mainly in English/Language Arts (ELA) before moving to a full time job as an ELA teacher at Granby Memorial Middle School in Granby, Connecticut. After four months there, she now arrives at Xavier where she currently teaches English to Freshman, Sophomores, and Juniors.
Why Xavier?
A big part of Xavier as a school is our values. As a Catholic school, these are a necessity to guarantee students receive the unique, rigorous, and one-of-a-kind education unlike any other school.
When I asked Ms. Devlin about what made Xavier so appealing to her, she said, “I really like how they value discipline here. From a teaching standpoint it makes it a lot easier to teach, but also I think it’s good for you guys (the students) to take accountability because those are the skills that you will use throughout the rest of your life”.
Xavierian brothers sponsored schools are unique and special in the way that they engrave values such as discipline into the hearts and minds of the students that come through these buildings. They aim to teach not only within the confines of Xavier High School but throughout the lives of their students
Goals for 2024 and beyond
As a fairly new teacher to the school, Ms. Devlin has a wish list of sorts she would like to get done in the remaining months of the school year as well as the rest of her time as a teacher here.
“I really value forming good relationships with students because then some of the underclassmen or the students new to this school will seek me out for help which I really appreciate. I would say that is my biggest goal.”
A massive part of not only the job of an English teacher but an English student is reading. Students spend every day reading something. I mean you are literally reading this article right now. It could be in English class, it could be in a language, a science class. Whatever it is, you will have to read every day.
Biggest help
Coming into a new school in the middle of the year is never easy. It makes it a lot harder when you come into a school like Xavier. People are already in their flow’s and in their elements and you have to come in and disrupt that when most people are used to a completely different teaching style. I asked Ms. Devlin about who was the biggest help in getting acclimated to the Xavier community as well as easing the nerves of coming into the school mid-year
“Ms. Lee. She is amazing. She has all kinds of resources that she’s been giving to me to look through which is really helpful. She gave me a tour of the school, she walked me through the dining hall, showed me how to use OnCampus, and has just done so much things that even though they seem small, go a long way in helping me get acclimated to the community”
Do-Overs?
A lot of teachers as they get later and later into their careers, tend to have regrets. Things that they wished they could’ve done over if they ever got the chance. When I asked Ms. Devlin this question during our sit-down she gave a very unorthodox answer, She said “I would ask for help and assistance more often than I did. One of the difficulties of my old district was that the administration and other teachers thought that we knew everything, when in reality we didn’t. I also have to take responsibility for that because I didn’t seek out help as much as I probably should have. Asking questions and being willing to accept help is really important and something I’ve always wanted to improve on”
As Ms. Devlin continues her career here at Xavier, join me in welcoming her into our community!