Before the students arrive to class on their first day back from break, the third grade classroom at Desert Willow Elementary is still. The decorations are freshly glued to the walls and the desks holding nothing but a single piece of paper that reads "Welcome back to school".
The movement in the classroom comes from its teacher Keeley Carney as she cuts out more decorations, placing the finishing touches on the library and wall of future student's work. Carney is one of the 188 new teachers hired by Vail Unified School District, a record breaking number of new hires.
"There’s a lot of preparation involved especially for new teachers because we start out virtually with nothing," she said. "So we walk in the room and there's some tables and a desk and some students desk and we just have to figure out how to organize that and get supplies to decorate the room."
She spent countless hours with the other third grade teachers preparing for the school year. While this is her first year teaching her own classroom, there was a time where she didn't think she would end up here.
"Growing up both of my parents were teachers and after seeing them spend so much time in the classroom I thought I never wanted to teach,” she said.
But after becoming an aunt, she changed her tune.
"I realized that I loved kids and I love hanging out with them," she said. "And I love teaching things and I like learning myself so this was the best place for me."
As a new teacher, she's seen how the field has changed over the last few years and the challenges teachers in Arizona face. From mass school shootings to low teacher pay, it's difficult to retain many teachers. But for Carney, she's ready to face the challenges.
"My mission is to keep my students safe and i'll do everything i can to make that happen," she said. "I'm not afraid everyday in the classroom, i'm just aware."
And she said she's not planning on leaving the classroom anytime soon.
"I think what keeps me going is that I'm going to be the person there every single day for every child in my classroom,” she said.
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