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Day One Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Teacher Shelli Campos hooks up her first-graders with their parents at the end of the first day of school at Howard Elementary. Campos met the children's families during the summer to get to know them better. New teacher in bilingual classroom did her homework over the summer, making the first day of school easier for her and her first-graders By DAMIAN MANN Shelli Campos spent her first day as a teacher hobbling around her first-grade bilingual classroom at Howard Elementary School. New to the profession, eight months pregnant and with a cast on her foot following surgery, Campos faced more than her share of challenges Tuesday. "Last night, I tossed and turned," she said. "I was surprised I didn't go into labor. I guess my nerves just took over." This 27-year-old, who was born and raised in Medford, might have been a bit fatigued, but she was far from unhappy at the end of her first day teaching 24 little ones. "These kids were just great," she said. Class went more smoothly than expected, in part because Campos worked through the summer meeting the children's families. "I've been to their house. I know their mother, father, uncle, aunt, grandmother and grandfather," she says. Campos wants a good mental picture of the families to help her get to know the students better and to assess their socioeconomic situations. "You might go to a house where there is one room and 10 people," she said. Despite such a diverse group of students, Campos' classroom was a picture of harmony Tuesday. "You don't see prejudice," she said. "You don't see racism." What you do see are students from two walks of life talking one minute in Spanish, the next in English. Campos said she tries to maintain a 50-50 mix of Spanish and English during the day. Because she was so busy during the summer trying to get the class ready for her charges, Campos tried to dismiss a worsening pain in her foot after stepping on a nail two months ago. Although she took some steps to deal with the problem, Campos admits the steps may not have been big enough. "It got abscessed," she said. "It just kept getting bigger and bigger. One day I said I just couldn't handle it." Her doctor cut it out, but she had to start class with a cast. Any day now, she could be giving birth to Skyler David, who is almost like the 25th student in the classroom. "Sometimes I forget I'm pregnant until my belly bumps into one of the students," she said. Campos, who also has a 4-year-old daughter, Molli, and a husband, Joe, plans to take about four weeks off after she gives birth. "I think it'll be difficult for me to stay away," she said. Principal Trish Evens, who is also new to Howard this year, said a substitute teacher has been lined up while Campos is gone. "We'll really miss her," she said. So will her students, who appeared to like their first day of class. "I'm coming back tomorrow," vowed 6-year-old Jos� Uribe. Another was especially excited about the red T-shirts that were given to students on their first day. Angel Barajas, 6, said, "I'm not going to give it away - never, until I get to the moon." Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.