Category: Instruction

LePage honors Teacher of the Year in weekly message

Hello. This is your Governor, Paul LePage.

This last week I had the honor of congratulating Alana Margeson, a teacher at Caribou High School, on being named the 2012 Maine Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Margeson brings enthusiasm, energy and a natural positive outlook to her classroom.  She engages her students in debate, inquiry, research and discussion. She encourages taking risks and thinking “outside the comfort zone.” In short, she is helping her students succeed academically and in preparing for their futures.

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Penobscot Nation hosts teacher workshops

Maine K-12 educators and pre-service educators have a special opportunity to learn about Maine Indians.  The 5th Annual “Teach the Teachers” series is being hosted by the Penobscot Nation’s Cultural & Historic Preservation Department on four select days in October on Indian Island.

Preparing for an ‘inevitable’ era

Author icon: Head shot of Commissioner Stephen BowenSometimes it’s helpful to step away for a moment from the frenzy of daily operations to reflect on our work and where it’s headed. That’s what the staff of the Department of Education did earlier this week.

On Tuesday afternoon, the entire DOE was treated to a presentation by Bea McGarvey, former executive director of education for the Portland Public Schools and co-author of the book “Inevitable: Mass Customized Learning.”

Bea shared with us a compelling vision for the future of public education: one that harnesses the power of technology to customize learning for each student based on his or her interests, learning style and educational needs.

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Three Maine teachers finalists for science, math awards

Correction: This press release has been corrected to note that Ken Vencile is currently a biology teacher at Camden Hills Regional High School and has been a teacher for 14 years, but not all of them at Camden Hills.

AUGUSTA – Two science teachers and one math teacher from Maine have been announced as finalists for the 2011 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. The National Science Foundation, which is known for its rigorous selection process, will select up to one mathematics and one science winner per state to be recognized next spring in Washington, D.C.

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Maine DOE as a resource, not a regulator

Author icon: Head shot of Commissioner Stephen Bowen

This blog entry was published in the September edition of The Maine Apprise, the newsletter of the Maine Principals’ Association.

As I toured schools across the state this past spring, I heard a lot from principals and assistant principals whose jobs are becoming more demanding by the day. We’re expecting our schools to prepare all students for college and careers in a constantly changing world. The expectations haven’t dropped even as funding has become tighter.

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Bowen: Arts crucial to creativity, innovation

Commissioner Bowen headshotBy Argy Nestor

This post is also published on the meartsed blog.

The Commissioner of Education, Stephen Bowen, graciously took the time to answer questions about arts education for the meartsed blog. I look forward to continuing the important work of Maine arts education with the Commissioner as we move toward transforming our schools for 21st-century learning and students.

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Teachers take active role in focus on training

Schools for Excellence initiative piloted at 18 Maine schools with focus on training and incentives

AUGUSTA — Teachers at 18 schools in five Maine school districts are participating in focused and integrated professional development, and developing new evaluation and performance-based pay systems this fall. The goal: improved achievement for their 5,500 students.

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