Nominations for the 2009 Maine Teacher of the Year

INFORMATIONAL LETTER NO.: 46
POLICY CODE: AEB

TO: Superintendents, Assistant Superintendents, Principals, Headmasters, Career and Technical Education Directors, Curriculum Coordinators, Presidents of Maine Professional Educational Associations

FROM: Susan A. Gendron, Commissioner

DATE: November 9, 2007

SUBJECT: Nominations for the 2009 Maine Teacher of the Year

The Maine State Board of Education and the Department of Education invite you to nominate a teacher for consideration as the 2009 Maine Teacher of the Year. Any certified Maine teacher who is currently giving daily classroom instruction in a Maine approved public or private elementary or secondary school may be nominated. You may also consider individuals who have been previously nominated.

The Teacher of the Year Program does not attempt to single out any individual as the best teacher in Maine, but rather to honor one teacher who represents all the excellent teachers in our State. Selecting a Teacher of the Year is an exceptional way to celebrate the many outstanding and dedicated people teaching in Maine schools.

Maine’s Teacher of the Year should be committed to excellence and to nurturing the achievement of all students. Your nominee should bring to the classroom exemplary skills that are recognized by students, colleagues, parents, and all other members of your school’s community. All nominees must have Maine certification and hold at least a four-year degree.

While serving as Maine Teacher of the Year, the teacher must maintain his or her current teaching position. Furthermore, all nominees must be employed full time and teaching at least fifty percent of that time. It has been recommended by the Teacher of the Year Association that no more than one educator should be submitted from a small school administrative unit within three years. In large school administrative units, no more than one educator should be submitted from the same school within three years. The school unit having the honor of being the home of the current Teacher of the Year is urged not to nominate a teacher for the coming year.

It is important that you understand that being Maine Teacher of the Year requires some time away from the classroom. Along with the publicity that is part of being Teacher of the Year, there are usually several speaking engagements and requests to assist other schools in professional development. This could amount to as many as 30 days of absence during the school year; also, Regional and State Finalists will be expected to participate in various activities which could amount to up to 10 days absence during the school year.

The 2009 Maine Teacher of the Year will automatically be part of the National Teacher of the Year Program. This includes an annual conference in Dallas, Texas, in January 2009, a National Teacher Forum in Washington in April 2009, “Space Camp” at NASA’s Alabama headquarters in July 2009 and possibly a national conference in Princeton, New Jersey in October 2009.

While it is your decision how to nominate a teacher in your unit or school, I encourage the use of a local nominating committee of at least three colleagues of the nominee. This committee might also include a parent, and/or a school board member, a student (s), and/or other members of the school community. The committee and the nominee are responsible for filling out the nomination form found at http://www.maine.gov/education/toy/index.html and returning it to the Department, postmarked by February 15, 2008, or hand delivering it to the Fifth Floor Receptionist in the Burton Cross State Office Building, Augusta, by 5 PM, February 15, 2008. For your convenience, a sample application is located on the Maine Education website at http://www.maine.gov/education/toy/index.html .

The Teacher of the Year (T.O.Y.) Committee regrets that no feedback concerning any stage of the process can be provided to the nominees.

A calendar of the selection process for 2008 can be found at http://www.maine.gov/education/toy/calendar.html . It is important that you share this letter and the calendar with your nominee.

A committee of teachers, school administrators, students, and Department staff will score the nomination forms, selecting one Regional Finalist from the State’s nine superintendent regions plus up to two additional at-large finalists. For a region to be represented there must be a nominee whose score qualifies him or her from that region.

All Regional Finalists who complete the process will be honored at a banquet in late October or early November 2008. Regional Finalists will receive generous checks from Hannaford Supermarkets which may be used for professional development or classroom enrichment. A Regional Finalist who resigns from the process at any point is not eligible for the rewards and forfeits the honor of Regional Finalist.

Along with these checks, the Teacher of the Year expenses are funded by Hannaford Supermarkets. This is the thirteenth year that this company has generously supported the Maine Teacher of the Year Program.

This letter and the nomination form are posted on the Department’s web page: http://www.maine.gov/education/edletrs/ilethome.htm

If you have any questions, please contact the Teacher of the Year Coordinator:

Jennifer Pooler
Maine Department of Education
#23 State House Station
Augusta ME 04333-0023
624-6638 (voicemail)
624-6700 (fax)
mailto:jennifer.pooler@maine.gov