New Hillsborough teachers prepare for day one

They showed up at Strawberry Crest High School, bright and early. The nerves were running high, according to Blanka Fusvolgyi.

"I'm really nervous, but I'm really, really excited," Fusvolgyi said.

She is one of 700 new teachers in Hillsborough County. They beat out a crop of 1,500 job applicants. Monday, started four days of teacher orientation.

Shannon Bogle, supervisor of teacher training for Hillsborough, says they let the teachers know what's expected in this district.

"They learn so much in college, but there's all those little pieces that they don't learn in college, that we try to give them, a little bit of insight in these four days," Bogle said.

They went over classroom management, instructional strategies and ethics.

Matthew Moffitt, 24, just graduated from USF and will now teach at McKitrick Elementary.

"I just want to be able to do a great job, I want to make an impact on the kid's lives," Moffitt said.

Carmen Borders says it's nervewracking to think of all they've learned, and putting that to use.

"I want to make sure I'm effective, that my strategies are engaging, so I'm really, really excited," she said.

But there's only so much they can teach the teachers. Emma Weaver will now teach 10th grade English at Tampa Bay Tech.

"Everyday is going to be different in your classroom, so I don't think there's any way they can actually prepare you for what's going to happen, every single day. But they're going to help us be prepared to make our own decisions once that comes up," Weaver said.

Teaching in Florida has changed in recent years. New teacher evaluations and tougher FCAT standards have brought a lot of criticism from educators.

But these rookie teachers aren't phased by it.

Lilas Sinwich, who will be at Armwood High School, said "the evaluations and the mentors, that's meant to help you, to grow. If you just look at it, as that, a learning experience, I think you'll be okay."

Keath Brown is moving from teaching in Pasco County to Hillsborough. So he has some experience with the new evaluation system, but he's looking forward to seeing how it's used in Hillsborough.

"It's just kind of, get in there and prove myself and I'll be fine."

Teachers in Hillsborough report to school on August 13th. The kids show up on the 21st.