Amanda Peterson, the Business Leadership Instructor at United Technologies Center (UTC) in Bangor has been named the 2020 Maine Career and Technical Education (CTE) Teacher of the Year by the Maine Administrators of Career and Technical Education (MACTE). Mrs. P, as her students call her, was honored by Maine Department of Education (DOE) Commissioner Pender Makin and Maine Community College System President David Daigler at the annual MACTE conference which was held virtually on October 8th.
(Pictured: Amanda Peterson poses for photos with her family members after being honored.)
“This is a period in our history where educators of exceptional character are extra important,” said Commissioner Makin in her remarks honoring Peterson. “Students all crave stability and hope, a reason to believe in their own future. Having your teacher demonstrate clearly and consistently that they care and believe in you is priceless.”
Known for her ability to blend an extraordinary set of abilities in an effort to cater to each and every student, Mrs. P thoughtfully taps into each student’s uniqueness, talents, and dreams by celebrating and them and helping them to confidently grow into their best selves. She transforms individuals often filled with self-doubt and uncertainty, to individuals who demonstrate self-confidence and direction.
During his remarks, MCCS President Daigler spoke about Mrs. P’s efforts to develop a robust CTE Business program for UTC that helps students earn college credit. “Currently Ms. Peterson offers 12 EMCC Business courses and additional courses from 2 other Maine higher education institutions, bringing her total course offerings to 14 college courses or 42 college credits. Delivering a demanding college level curriculum to high school students is challenging. Having over 90% complete with A’s and B’s based on locked 3rd party and college summative assessments is phenomenal. This level of learning, with students widely becoming able to reach and function in Bloom’s Quadrant D, occurs because of her dedication, belief system, and understanding of experiential education.”
Maine Administrators of Career and Technical Education (MACTE) administers the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Teacher of the Year Award, which recognizes teachers who are providing outstanding career and technical education programs for youth and/or adults in their respective fields and communities.
Peterson has a Master’s of Science in Education and a Bachelor’s of Science in Business from Husson University and an Associate Degree in Business Administration from Thomas College. She has 25+ years working in a family small business, (farming, restaurants, general stores), in addition several years in industrial education experience, instructing, banking, IT support, finance, and small business ownership. Peterson is a certified Maine CTE instructor in Business Education, Information Technology and Cooperative Industrial Training.
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