Finding Your Teacher Voice

“I had a teacher who would always remind my class of the three R’s. She would say ‘Remember class, we are here to learn the three R’s: reading, writing and arithmetic’…I too had my own three R’s as a student.

My three R’s were rats, roaches, and rent.”

In a new book, Student-Centered Learning, Nine Classrooms in Action, Suzen Polk-Hoff ses shares her personal story of how she grew up in the inner-city housing projects in San Francisco and worried about if roaches from her home would crawl out of her book bag when she opened it at school—or if she and her sibling and single mom would become homeless if her mother couldn’t make the rent that month. The former Maine Teacher of the Year fi nalist turned author, knows all too well sometimes life gets in the way of learning. Polk-Hoff ses joined eight other Maine Teacher of the Year winners, fi nalists and semi-fi nalists, (seven are MEA members), to share their personal stories of teaching and learning and how the student-centered model works for them and their students. Bill Nave, a former MEA member and Teacher of the Year in 1990 edited the book, bringing all the stories together. MEA interviewed several of the authors about their collaborative book and how it can help other educators in and out of the classroom. Below are the responses from Cindy Raymond (CR), Mary Graziano-Glynn (MG), Suzen Polk-Hoff ses (SH), Shannon Shanning (SS), and Karen MacDonald (KM).

Member Authors Include:

Mary Graziano-Glynn - RSU 19 EA Suzen Polk-Hoffses - SAD 37 TA Cynthia Raymond - Kennebec Intra-District Schools EA Shannon Shanning - RSU 16 EA Susan O’Brien - Education Association 22 Karen MacDonald - MEA-Retired Alana Margeson - Eastern Aroostook EA

Why did you want to contribute your story in this way?

CR: As educators, it is important to share with one another what works. Collaboration, networking, and sharing ideas all contribute to our growth. When we work together, we improve our craft.

MG: I always feel empowered and inspired when I read about other educators’ teaching practices/ positive stories. We all feel burned out at some point in our careers and also like nothing we’re doing is working. It helps to read about other teachers’ experiences and not only learn that we’re not alone, but learn about what they did to change things around and to keep students engaged. I Cindy Raymond, Grade 7 hope other teachers, especially those who teach Hall-Dale Middle School, Farmingdale in high poverty areas, can not only use some of the techniques that have worked for me, but feel inspired to do great things in their schools and communities.

SH: At times, I feel that teaching can feel like an isolating experience in the respect that others might not know all the wonderful work that is going on in a teacher’s classroom. Contributing my story allowed me to share, with a wider audience, what is happening in my own classroom.

SS: Teacher voice is a powerful tool that can be used to showcase some of the incredible teaching and learning opportunities that occur on a regular basis in classrooms both locally and globally. I wanted to fi nd a way to highlight the work that is being done within my classroom and school, as we have worked hard to be a responsive learning community. Sharing this story allowed me to refl ect and improve upon on my own practice.

KM: Contributing to this book was a challenge for me. I have not always viewed myself as a writer. However, I have been talking about how important it is for teachers to use their “voice” to share information on the positive things going on in today’s classroom. So I decided to take up the challenge.

How do you think other educators can benefit from this book?

CR: This book is a great resource for pre-service teachers and new teachers in providing them with a toolbox of classroom strategies that work with students. For the veteran teachers, such as myself, this book encourages us to reflect on our practice, set goals and take risks to improve how we can better meet the needs of each student.

MG: I believe teachers learn best from other teachers. The greatest things I have learned about teaching and students (and have been successful with) have come from colleagues, as well as from professional books written by teachers. I hope my chapter can give other educators ideas, inspiration and encouragement!

SH: I write about closing the Mary Graziano-Glynn, Grade 4 opportunity gap when it comes to Hartland Consolidated School student-centered learning. My hope is to give educators and others in the education field better insight into how closing the opportunity gap can benefit our students living in poverty when it comes to their learning.

SS: For a long time I envisioned studentcentered learning as being a “one size fits all” curriculum with scripted language, limited flexibility for lesson planning and development, and little to no teacher-directed instruction. I have learned through my own experiences and the experiences of others this is not the case, Suzen Polk-Hoffses, Pre-K but rather student-centered learning empowers Milbridge Elementary School both teachers and students as they work together to achieve their personal goals. Showcasing nine different classrooms allows both current and future educators to see how this approach is a careful mix of best practice, teacher instinct and intuition, and above all else, giving every student what they need to be successful. I hope the book will empower current and pre-service teachers to take a risk and implement an instructional approach and embrace a mindset that will allow every student in their class to be their best.

KM: I think all of the chapters bring you into actual classrooms with practicing teachers who are skilled at

Shannon Shanning, Grade 8 Special Education and 2 the art and science of teaching. I have purchased a copy for a brand new

Bruce M. Wittier Middle School, Poland teacher I know. I told her to focus on Chapters 2 and 3 first, since she is teaching fourth grade, but later on to read the rest of the chapters for the vision of what it means to be a student-centered teacher. I think it would be a great book group text, with discussions to follow about the practices shared in the text.

What have you learned during this experience that will help you in your work with students?

CR: This book reinforces to me to always keep students at the center of everything I do.

MG: Writing about my classroom over the course of a year taught me so much about myself as an educator. It’s a very reflective process that has made me look at my teaching and my students on a much deeper level and understand what works and what doesn’t...also, what I do well and what I still need to improve on.

SH: I was terrified over the thought of writing a chapter for this book. I’m not a writer. Yet, the caring support and gentle guidance I received from our book editor, Bill Nave, reminded me how important the support of a teacher can mean to students who are asked to work outside of their learning comfort zone.

SS: This process was messy, grueling, murky, yet incredibly rewarding for both me and my students. Through this experience I learned about the power of teacher collaborative and co-teaching, the importance of setting goals with students and progress monitoring, and how to trust my visceral beliefs about what is best for students. I feel more empowered to take risks and involve my students within their own educational journey.

KM: I retired in June, but have been using this book to educate others in our community about quality teacher and learning and what it actually “looks like” when it is happening.

Karen MacDonald, Retired Educator

Anything else you would like to share?

CR: Building relationships with students is the key to their success.

SH: I work with the most wonderful teachers and students at Milbridge Elementary School. I am grateful that I am able to teach at a school that is not only focused on academics, but is also focused on being caring and compassionate to the needs of our students and their families.

SS: Recently we presented this book at an ECET2 Leadership Summit to highlight how teachers can lead through writing. There are a variety of ways for educators to connect, collaborate and showcase educational practices and strategy, however writing continues to be a powerful tool in this process. Having the opportunity to share my classroom with others not only inspires teachers but validates the work that my students have done.

KM: Maine teachers need to get the word out about the great work they are doing. I have had the opportunity to visit some fabulous Maine teachers over the last two years. While this profession is extremely demanding, and time is short, we must encourage each other to share the stories from classrooms throughout the state. Whether it is writing a book, composing a letter to the editor, or using social media as a tool, we need to spread the word. Maine students are in good hands and Maine classrooms are safe, dynamic, and engaging places for learning.