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I am excited and honored to be nominated for the position of
PEA President by Sue Olafsen and Beth Arsenault, current PEA President and Vice
President. My interest in running for
this position grew after talking with Sue as she described the different
aspects and responsibilities of the president and the qualities a person must
possess in order to be a good fit. I am an inquisitive person who seeks out
information and likes to collaborate with people from a variety of
backgrounds. I am comfortable using
data, researching and analyzing issues, and developing solutions. I enjoy building relationships, listening,
and helping others. Although there would
be a steep learning curve in taking on this role, I believe these qualities and
my experience would allow me to solidly represent and lead the PEA.
I began my teaching career in 2001 teaching middle school
math in Baltimore City, where I simultaneously earned my Master of Arts in
Teaching from Johns Hopkins University. I always planned to return to my home
state of Maine and although I grew up in central Maine, my heart was set on one
destination, Portland - for its diversity, community, and educational
leadership in the state. It took six
years before a position opened up in PPS; I taught in Scarborough and Skowhegan
before landing at Deering High School.
Changing student enrollment brought me to Portland High School, where I
have been for the past nine years. Six years ago, as part of the Nellie Mae
Grant, I accepted a full-time teacher leader position which led me to serve on
several district committees such as the Teacher Evaluation Design Team and the
new Teaching and Learning Committee. I have presented at school board meetings
on several occasions, worked collaboratively with a number of different school
and district leaders, and represented PPS at many educational conferences. At
Portland H.S., I am part of the school leadership team and although my title is
Freshman Academy Team Leader, I wear many different hats including building the
master schedule, teaching math, pulling data using Infinite Campus, and
supporting student and families with the transition to high school. My primary role though is to support and
advocate for teachers; I filter the different requests or demands that are
placed on our teachers. Each smaller demand on its own is reasonable, but it’s
my job to be an advocate and voice when the collective demands become too
much. I am proud to be an educator and
parent in this district; my children attend Rowe Elementary School and Lincoln
Middle School (by way of Riverton Elementary).
I care deeply about teaching and learning and even as a new
teacher I always spoke my mind when it came to the many new initiatives that
come our way. At times this meant,
helping to build momentum for a change that felt hard but right, and at times this
meant pushing back and demanding that teacher voice be included in the
decisions being made. As Union
President, I would work to be ahead of change and initiatives, advocating for
teacher voice and input from the start, and ensure that feedback and data are
collected to measure success and impact from our perspective. I also hope to build strong school-based
structures for Union representation, so that teachers feel connected and
supported by the PEA, starting from within their own building. Lastly, I would work to be a partner with
district administration, building on our collective goal of supporting all
learners, while understanding full well that ensuring teachers are empowered,
respected professionals is key in meeting that goal. I would be honored to be your PEA President
and to work diligently on your behalf.