My past. My work: I graduated from the University of Maine at Fort Kent in 2000 and began working at the Madawaska Elementary School as a first grade teacher. I also worked as a third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grade teacher at the school. While teaching, I earned my Masters in Educational Leadership from St. Joseph’s College and began working as an Assistant Principal/Athletic Director at Madawaska Middle/High School. I later became the Principal at Madawaska Elementary School. Three years ago, I was hired as the Superintendent of Schools at Maine School Administrative District No. 27 and was most recently nominated as the Executive Director of Valley Unified Regional Service Center, serving MSAD27, MSAD33, and the Madawaska School Department.

My typical day: Each day is different, and never typical. I can go into work with a personal agenda of work tasks that I want to complete, but the day can change in an instant depending on the needs of the schools, district and region. I enjoy spending time in schools, observing classrooms and interacting with learners; however, a great deal of my work responsibilities require me to be at various meetings; some that are held right in the MSAD27 schools, but others are at the regional or state-level.

What I like best about my work. What I like less: Because I will always consider myself an educator, I still enjoy the impact I can make on improving education for our region. Instead of having a classroom of 20 or 25 learners, I now have a classroom of hundreds of learners, some young and others not so young. I like taking risks to better learning experiences for all, and I am not afraid to fail in those risks. I think that is the mindset needed for us to improve. Learning should be messy, and I like the mess! I do not like the politics involved with school improvement and bettering education for learners. A great deal of my time is spent on “red tape”, which is not the most exciting part of my job.

The qualities and values you need to be successful and happy with this work: The qualities needed to be successful in this job are just like any other job, which is what we preach every day in our regional schools. In order to be successful trusted in what you do requires respect, responsibility, honesty, and engaged/invested learning. As long as you stick to those core values, you can’t go wrong. Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone has failures. It’s what you do with those mistakes and failures that will set you apart from others. Embrace the struggles in order to improve!

The skills and experience you should develop today to be successful in this work: In order to be successful in education and school leadership requires individuals to have a growth mindset, an open heart, and a love for learning. That’s it! The rest is easy. If you are willing to learn new things, if you have a heart to do what’s right, and if you embrace learning opportunities, you cannot go wrong.


The academic education you should pursue to prepare for success in this work: I believe a successful school leader should have experience in various roles in the schools. Therefore, I would highly suggest going to college to be an educator first, where you can learn the struggles and successes that our teachers and learning facilitators experience every day. This will require a four-year degree in elementary or secondary education. I would then suggest pursuing a Master’s or Doctorate degree in educational leadership, and serving as a school leader, prior to exploring district leadership. My time as an assistant principal and school principal were essential to building the foundation to become a Superintendent, and I rely on that foundation every day.

The best advice I can give to anyone who wants to pursue this career or any career for that matter:

1. Always enjoy what you do. There will be good days and there will be bad days, but if you ever wake up in the morning hating your career or profession, it’s time to start looking for something new.
   2 Always remember you are part of a team. It doesn’t matter if you are the CEO of a corporation, the person who schedules appointments, or the individual who cleans at night. Everyone is a valuable member of a team and should always be treated that way.
   3 Never forget where you come from. Where and how you were raised are part of the equation for your success. It’s perfectly fine to leave the area you grew up in and never come back. It’s also perfectly fine to never leave at all. In either case, embrace the place that helped you become who you are.
   

Elementary School Counselor

Education Level: Master's, CAS

Best advice I can give…. LISTEN

When someone says to you…”You are good at….. did you ever think of doing….” Listen to them! Take note of what they noticed in you that you are doing well and make it work for you! When you do something well, you usually like what you are doing… and when you like what you are doing and you can make that your career….it isn’t work…it’s fun!

My past. My work. I worked in Healthcare for over 20 years now enjoying new opportunities in Education as the Director of St. John Valley Technology Center (SJVTC)

My typical day. My typical day consists of managing the Technology Center and making students feel valued through their work and learning. I am always seeking to expand the offerings of our Technology Center to provide our learners with greater choice.

What I like best about my work. What I like less. What I like best about my work is seeing the skill set growth of all students as they progress through the curriculum. What I like least is having to tell a student there is no available space for his/her participation within the program.

The qualities and values you need to be successful and happy in this work. The qualities and values needed to be successful and happy in this work is to have a joy for learning and expanding ones horizons. You need to have a strong-work ethic, be responsible and be dependable and lastly trustworthy.

The skills and knowledge and experience you should develop today to be successful in this work. Skills, knowledge and experience needed to developed to be successful in this work are to be extroverted, be inquisitive, be ready to learn and accept others where they are at because everyone learns differently and at different paces. Celebrate the small successes as they are what drives initiative.

The academic education you should pursue to prepare for success in this work. As a post-secondary student learner, I would recommend an individual to strive for a Masters in Education from the start as it is a necessary requirement for progression. Never stop learning as it is the mother of all intentions.

The best advice I can give to anyone who wants to pursue this career or any career for that matter. The best advice is do what you LOVE! Live every day as it's your only moment to provide the world your contribution to benefit mankind. Be open to change and open minded to listen and take in other people's ideas. As a TEAM.... Together we achieve more!

Greetings! I am a life long educator and a life long learner. I began my career as a teacher and have enjoyed working with more than 2000 students over the last 30 years. My favorite subject was always science. I liked anything related to science in any field, biology, chemistry, zoology, etc. and desired to get students to also enjoy science, so I became a science teacher. Although my job has become administrative in the last few years, my work still involves keeping students as a priority in all decisions. The best thing about being a teacher is working with students and seeing the "light bulb moments". Teaching is giving of yourself to others. Teachers play a vital role in building the next generation and encouraging them to be lifelong learners.

To become a teacher, a student must attend college and major in a subject area to teach at the higher grade levels, or major in education to teach at the elementary level. If someone wants to be a specialist, they may go on to graduate school and earn advanced degrees. Teachers must also take classes and other professional development throughout their entire career in order to be licensed and remain current with developments in education.

Teaching is a great field; you are always learning. You have to like working with children and you must be ready to work long days during the school year, but you get to enjoy vacations when school is not in session. The best part about teaching is that it makes you feel like you make a difference in someone's life.

A college counselor, educator, and director of a nonprofit.
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