Educators from 13 districts throughout the western Maine region gathered at the University of Maine at Farmington last week to attend a series of professional development opportunities designed specifically for them. This is the second year that the Western Maine Education Collaborative (WMEC) has planned a remarkably successful Rendezvous for teachers in the region, this year doubling the number of attendees over last year’s event.
The focus was on sharing the successes and solutions of delivering high quality instruction, assessment, and curriculum to a broad spectrum of students. More than 40 sessions were offered throughout the day on everything from 3D printing, to Google forms and other tools for the classroom, as well as curriculum and assessment sessions on project based learning, NWEA math, & SAT prep, and strategies to improve vocabulary instruction, to name a few. Educators were also offered sessions on the dangers of vaping, adverse childhood experiences, mandatory reporting, and suicide prevention, in addition to sessions about self-care, evidenced based classroom management practices, and sessions where they could work on specific projects.
The Rendezvous was planned and hosted by WMEC, a long-time partnership of districts in the western Maine region. The collaborative is led by President, and RSU 4 Superintendent, Andy Carlton and WMEC Executive Director, Kristie Littlefield. By using feedback and ideas generated from last year’s event, the two designed an event that was meaningful and responsive to the interests and needs of the participants.
Educators in attendance came from the following districts: Fayette School Department, Lisbon School Department, MSAD 59, Mt. Blue Regional School District/RSU 9, RSU 4, RSU 56, RSU 58, RSU 74, RSU 78, Spruce Mountain School District/RSU 73, Western Foothills Regional School Unit No. 10.
WMEC President Andy Carlton hopes this collaboration continues to offer quality professional development opportunities across the region, with events like this for years to come. He notes that a collaborative like WMEC is not always about sharing resources to save money, it’s about working together to pool resources so that improved programs and services can be provided to the students in the region.
For more information about WMEC visit their website.
Below are more pictures from the event.
