I am a first-generation college student, born and bred in rural Maine. I come from a divided family which has given me the opportunity to call Oxford, Mexico, and Jay Maine home. Each of these towns used to thrive on a mill. My family has been impacted by each of these mills closing down. Going through struggles in my family and community has helped me develop my identity as a teacher and a person. I use these experiences to provide empathy to my students who are currently experiencing what it is like to grow up in a rural town in Maine. 

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During my time at College of the Atlantic (COA), I have called Bar Harbor home. Here, I developed new parts of my identity. I found a passion for learning about government, legislation, and actively engaging in community development. These passions have lead me to want to be a part of creating policies that better our public education system in Maine. My time at COA has trained me in the human ecological process of problem-solving and community building, which I hope to share with my students.

I have a human ecological and skills-based teaching methodology that focuses on teaching students academic and life skills, allowing for student-choice projects, and connecting content to their lives. My lesson plans intentionally include verbal and visual instruction and a variety of activities. I have connected all of my lessons to at least one of the five concepts from Thinking Like A Historian. Each unit also has a skill that students will be working to develop during the unit. My goal is to prepare students for the world outside of my classroom. To do this, I dedicate myself to teaching content, growth mindset, academic and life skills. 

Penquis Valley High School is a small high school in northern, rural Maine (about 200 students). Milo used to thrive on the local railroad and now struggles to keep its economy stable. I instantly felt a close connection to the community and the school. This was exactly what I was looking for and reminded me of the places I used to call home. 

In this multigenerational community, many of my students will come from difficult backgrounds. Some very similar to my own and some drastically different. This small community connected my personal and professional life as I saw many of my students outside of school and my boyfriend played recreational basketball with many of them.

During the time I was there, the school year was just starting up. Which allowed me to become integrated into the school community easily. I also found that it was very beneficial to see how the school year starts. My time at Penquis fully prepared me for becoming a teacher.