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We Are MEA
MEA members shine in so many ways. Together, let's celebrate our successes and congratulate our colleagues.
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National Board Support Workshop MEA hosts support workshops for candidates looking to become National Board Certified Teachers. MEA is proud to support more candidates than ever before during our workshops which are free for members. This group came to Augusta on a Saturday to further their education so they could better support their students. To learn more about these workshops visit maineea.org
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97% of the Teachers in York are Members
The power of the union is strong in York! Nearly all the teachers are now members of the York TA. The group remains a strong, visible presence in each of the schools in the district. Members in York place their MEA stickers above their doors, showing everyone they're proud to belong. Congratulations to York TA for reaching such a high membership mark!
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Educators Provide PD for Peers MEA was excited to support a team of educators from eight different school districts during the ECET2 convening. Overheard at the convening: "Thank you, MEA, for supporting the ECET2 Professional Development Convening in York County. In my 18 years of teaching, this was one of the best professional development opportunities I have participated in. 'Authentic' is a word that best describes the ECET2 experience. Many thanks!"
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Ed Tech Recognized for Role in Student Success Greely High School Special Education, Education Technician Eliza Miller was named MSAD 51 Employee of the Year. Miller was praised for her one-on-one work with students and support for teachers with colleagues saying, "her years of experience and positivity leads the students to benefit hugely from her structured approach and optimism-which wears off on the students beyond the classroom."
Beyond the Dewey Decimal System School Libraries Revolutionized { The days of a large hush falling over the school library are largely gone at many schools across the state. For schools that are lucky enough to have librarians, these educators are taking their jobs and in turn the students they work with into a whole new world of knowledge. From digital literacy, to advanced research to book talks with authors and so much more, some of Maine’s public school libraries are places of innovation, growth and exploration—on top of places students can escape } into a good book.
SKILLIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL South Portland
“So much happens when they’re playing -they are playing but they’re purposefully playing.” Jennifer Stanboro, Skillin Elementary School Librarian
For elementary school students in South Portland library time Skillin Elementary School librarian, Jennifer Stanboro, reads to students. is a co-teaching experience between the grade-level classroom teacher and the school librarian, Jennifer Stanboro. Stanboro created a digital learning community inside her library where students don’t just use technology but embrace various tools to help guide their research and increase their engagement.
“One of my goals for students is to have them understand technology can be used to create and not just consume information,” 1 said Stanboro. In order to create “makers” and not just consumers, Sanboro has a “maker space” set up in the library. Here, students can use a variety of items, everything from straws to pieces of wood to Legos to build and create.
“I think libraries are a place where your personal interest can be explored. We do a genius hour—kids get to learn what they want to learn. We pull out our digital microscope or watercolors, if they’re interested in painting. We do a lot of choice-based research so students
SOURCES
can choose what they learn. I see the library as a space where the kids can choose how to meet their own goals,” added Stanboro.
With that mindset, on this day, Stanboro is working with a 3rd grade class on a Kindness Project. The group first brainstormed ways they could spread kindness through their school then they researched, using both books, magazines and online tools, videos and stories from other schools, on how they could create a kind school community. All the while, students are understanding the basics of how to conduct research and learn about the various forms of sources where they can attain information. That element is part of Stanboro’s digital literacy lesson, which is a component of the district’s 21 st Century skills assessment requirement.
“My focus now is 21 st Century skills. When I first started, the focus was non-fiction text,” said Stanboro. While a lot has changed at the school library, the benefit of collaboration as a best practice to benefit students remains the same, and at Skillin the Kindness Project is a perfect example of how the librarian and 3rd grade teacher working together to help the students.
“I will take this lesson on kindness and teach them the fundamentals of writing in the classroom," said 3 rd grade teacher Christine Dobson. "We will have writing prompts and then we use Google classroom where we pose questions and then integrate peer feedback as well,” added Dobson.
1 “One of my goals for students is to have them understand technology can be used to create and not just consume information.” Jennifer Stanboro, Skillin Elementary School Librarian
“It’s all in the details. That’s why every story we can tell is important- the words matter.” Meg Rooks, Lyman Moore Middle School Librarian.
With passion in her voice and a book in her hand, author Jennifer Neilsen reads a passage from her best-selling book Resistance to the 6th grade class at Lyman Moore Middle School in Portland. The students sit quietly as Neilsen paints a picture, with words, of the characters in her books. The author “book talk”, arranged by Moore and Lincoln Middle School Librarian Meg Rooks, came to be due to Rooks’ continued relationship with a local bookstore. Rooks splits her time between two schools and works hard to provide programs that are unique and enriching (for hundreds of students).
“My strategy is to work hard on concentrating on the professional part of my job and thinking about district—wide initiatives; we think about the big picture. I collaborate with the neighborhood non-profits and local bookstores so we can help students understand different topics, like the immigrant population,” said Rooks.
Currently, Rooks has a display of new books in the library, through her partnership with a non-profit, that helps students learn about the new students who are entering the classrooms from other countries. Through partnerships, Rooks can help fill some of the gaps left due to a lack of librarians in the city schools-there are only 7 for a city with 14 schools.
While Rooks wishes each school had its own librarian, she works hard to ensure students receive as much support and programming as possible. The author visit on this day is a prime example of that work. The entire sixth grade sat quietly as they listened and then asked questions of Neilsen who shared details of her latest book.
“You all are writers right now and we hope you can take something away from this to help you as students,” said Neilsen. Neilsen explained to the students why words matter and how the power of words can change a mind, encouraging students to continue to tell stories, real and fictional, because stories are what build us as people. The lessons from this day in the library are what Rooks believes keep students interested in reading and engaged with a variety of genres.
“As soon as you talk about a book kids want to read it. For an actual author to come and talk about their work, kids instantly want to read about it because they know it’s available to them by someone that’s famous, that they’ve met,” 3 added Rooks.
Author, Jennifer Neilson reads a passage from one of her best-selling novels.
Meg Rooks, Lyman Moore & Lincoln Middle School Librarian
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3 “As soon as you talk about a book kids want to read it. For an actual author to come and talk about their work, kids instantly want to read about it because they know it’s available to them by someone that’s famous, that they’ve met.” Meg Rooks, Lincoln Middle School Librarian November 2019 • www.maineea.org
“We even have to teach them how can you tell what an ad is, because it’s sponsored content.” Cathy Potter, Falmouth Middle School Librarian.
Deciphering fact from fiction in online content is one of the lessons taught by Cathy Potter, librarian at Falmouth Middle School. Here, students check out their own books in between lessons taught by Potter. Lessons range from navigating an online library with full access to audio books to digital citizenship to in-class literacy work with individual classrooms. The library here is a place where hands-on education takes place.
“We have a Green Screen-students make movies for classes- social studies, sometimes science. A lot of times, if they’re doing project-based learning they can choose how to present their information and the library is a place where they can come to both do their research and put together their projects,” said Potter.
Part of Potter’s focus, as a librarian and former teacher, is to meet students where they are at, in terms of technology, working on digital literacy. Potter shapes lessons around using technology in a safe, responsible way.
Falmouth Middle School librarian, Cathy Potter
“I find that students coming up are a lot more experienced, a lot savvier. They are more aware than kids a decade ago, but they still need those skills taught, they seem very comfortable with the technology but it’s important to make them slow down and look at the detail,” 4 said Potter. The details are what Potter works on with each child as they come into the library conducting research for things like science and social studies projects. During that work Potter shares her knowledge on proper sourcing.
“They need to be good problem solvers and figure out how to find answers on their own with the resources they have. What we try to teach them is to become critical readers or writers, understand not only what they are reading but also if what they’re reading comes from a good source that is trustworthy. There is so much out there online-they need to know where did the information come from? Who wrote it? Did they cite sources,” said Potter.
It’s research revamped at the library, books coming to life and technology integrated with project-based learning, all in school libraries that seem very far removed from the card catalogues and Dewey Decimal system, thanks to school librarians.
4 “I find that students coming up are a lot more experienced, a lot savvier. They are more aware than kids a decade ago, but they still need those skills taught, they seem very comfortable with the technology but it’s important to make them slow down and look at the detail.” Cathy Potter, Falmouth Middle School Librarian
