Kathy Theriault (left), a high school math teacher at Wisdom Middle and High School, part of MSAD #33, and 2026 Aroostook County Teacher of the Year, and Marcy Soucy (right), a fourth- and fifth-grade teacher at Fairmount School in Bangor and the 2026 Penobscot County Teacher of the Year.

In the very early morning hours of August 28, Marcy Soucy, a fourth- and fifth-grade teacher at Fairmount School in Bangor and the 2026 Penobscot County Teacher of the Year, headed north. And not just north, north north, to the picturesque, close-knit community of St. Agatha, Maine, to visit fellow educator and 2026 Aroostook County Teacher of the Year Kathy Theriault, the high school math teacher at Wisdom Middle and High School, part of MSAD #33.

The nearly 200-mile trip was about much more than a classroom visit. It was an opportunity for two educators from different grade levels, schools, and regions of Maine to open their classroom doors, learn from one another, and explore a simple question: What happens when teachers become students of one another’s practice? 

The plan began months earlier during a workshop for the 2026 Maine County Teachers of the Year. In addition to being selected and recognized as County Teachers of the Year and considered for Maine Teacher of the Year, these educators spend a year in service, participating in professional learning and leadership opportunities with the Maine Department of Education (DOE) and Educate Maine. They also form a cohort and work on individual and group projects designed to strengthen Maine’s education landscape and elevate the voices of Maine educators through grassroots, teacher-led efforts.

It was during one of these professional learning opportunities this summer that County Teachers of the Year were encouraged to step outside their own classrooms, visit one another’s schools and learn from the incredible educators who make up the cohort.

“Kathy and I didn’t need much convincing. We wanted to see the amazing work of other educators.” Soucy stated. “We had already discovered how much we could learn from one another through conversations about our classrooms, our students, and our shared love for math. So we decided to turn those conversations into action.” The decision was made; the collaboration would be a two-way learning experience. Soucy would travel north in August to spend time learning alongside Theriault and her students, and during Potato Harvest Break in Northern Maine, Theriault would travel south to visit Fairmount School, an elementary school in Bangor. 

This year, MSAD #33 has placed a districtwide emphasis on student engagement, with educators drawing inspiration from Jonathan Alsheimer’s School of Engagement and exploring strategies designed to increase connection, participation, and joy in learning. Drawing on work from her master’s program in Human Relations at Husson University, with a focus on creating positive classroom environments, Soucy gathered a collection of team-building games and collaborative activities. When asked his thoughts, WMHS Principal Robby Nadeau said, “The best ideas in education usually come from collaboration, rather than a singular thought.”

Although Soucy wondered if the team building activities would translate from her younger classroom to Theriault’s older classroom, Theriault wasn’t worried at all. “I was so excited to share my classroom with Marcy and knew she would have insight on team-building activities. I loved how she set the ‘stage’ with essential questions and criteria while allowing students to feel comfortable choosing to participate or help in another way,” Theriault said. “I am totally going to steal that for the future!”

And then the students walked into the room. The first activity was a simple game of competitive Rock, Paper, Scissors, one of Soucy’s favorites. Simple, perhaps, but within minutes, the room was buzzing.

Students were laughing, cheering for their classmates, celebrating wins, and playfully groaning over losses. The energy continued to build as students moved around the room, challenging one another and searching for their next opponent. What began as a familiar childhood game quickly became something much bigger: an opportunity to connect, encourage one another, and simply bring joy into the learning process. The engagement was immediate and genuine. There was no need to convince students to participate. They were in it.

Soucy stated, “As I watched the room, I was struck by how quickly joy can open the door to connection. Students were interacting, practicing positive sportsmanship, and discovering that learning together can feel a lot like play. It was magic.”

With the next game of Bottle Flip Team Tic-Tac-Toe, students who initially hung back began participating. Teams began communicating more intentionally. Students encouraged classmates who were struggling. The room became louder, more animated, and more connected.

The impact was perhaps best captured not by either teacher, but by the students themselves. When Soucy invited students to reflect on the experience, seventh grader Elsi Picard explained, “It makes you energized when your team is cheering for you!”

This is what happens when educators open the doors to their classrooms and allow themselves to be learners, too. “Kathy and I come from different educational settings and work with different age groups, but our goals are remarkably similar. We both want students to feel connected and feel that sense of belonging to their learning community. We want them to see themselves as capable and a valued member. We want them to take risks, learn from mistakes, and understand that they matter. Great ideas don’t belong to one grade level, one school, or one district. We were not trying to create a perfect lesson. We were trying something new. We talked. We questioned. We adjusted. We laughed. We learned, ” Soucy said in her reflection.  

As educators, it can be easy to become focused on our own classrooms, our own students, and our own responsibilities. Yet some of our greatest professional learning can happen when we step outside those four walls. The invitation to visit one another’s classrooms was simple: Get out. Visit. Learn from each other. Soucy said, “I am so grateful that Kathy and I said yes.” 

That day at Wisdom Middle and High School was about much more than team-building activities. It was about professional generosity. It was about trusting another educator enough to open the door and say, Come see what I’m doing. Let me see what you’re doing. Let’s figure this out together. That kind of collaboration makes all educators better. And it reminds us that learning isn’t something that ends when we become teachers.  Teachers are still learners. They are still curious. They are still trying new things.

When educators model that curiosity for one another, students see something important: learning is not something that ends when we leave school. It is a lifelong process and it can be joyful.

The collaboration between Soucy and Theriault is only halfway finished. During Northern Maine’s Potato Harvest Break, Theriault will head south to Fairmount School in Bangor, where the roles will reverse and she will step into Soucy’s elementary classroom as the learner.

Because when educators open their classroom doors to one another, everyone learns.

This story was submitted by Maine 2025 County Teachers of the Year Marcy Soucy (Penobscot County) and Kathy Theriault (Aroostook County). To submit a good news story to the Maine DOE, please fill out the good news submission form.