This website is maintained by James St. Pierre and Dorie Tripp, Humanities Teacher Fellows for the State of Maine Department of Education. Our goals are to provide a practiced-based, inclusive and comprehensive series of newsletters and professional learning workshops that all teachers will find useful and to which all teachers can contribute. This website will include links to all resources provided in the newsletters and recordings of our professional learning workshops, but will primarily focus on commentary, additional resources we've collected, and dates for upcoming events. Please feel free to contact us with any suggestions or to connect with content or resources of your own that you think will be useful to teachers throughout the state. --Jim and Dorie
Resource Links
Graphics Resources
Graphics can brighten just about anything. I try to incorporate a graphic into everything I create for this reason. But it is important to be mindful of copyright laws. There are two easy ways to avoid violating these laws. The first and easiest way is to use images you've created, such as pictures of your students engaged in specific activities (just be sure parents have given permission to your school for their likenesses to be published). The second is to use royalty-free images which are provided as downloads through many sites. I've listed the ones I've found most helpful below. --Jim
- Pexels
- Unsplash
- Morgue File
- Pixabay
- Google has an advanced search function that allows you to search for royalty-free images: find “usage rights” and click “creative commons."
Upcoming Events and Deadlines
International Literacy Association hosts Knowledge Building as the Foundation of Literacy Learning
| 5:00 p.m. ET | 1 Clock Hour | ||||
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The Telling Room's Summer Institute for Educators.
"Join us for one, two, or all three days of our Summer Institute for Educators! This professional development opportunity is open to anyone who engages with youth, through writing or otherwise, whether you are a classroom teacher, a teaching artist, or someone seeking creative ways to connect with young people in your world. In each session experienced Telling Room staff members will share proven methods for deepening writing skills and fostering meaningful connections with students. " Register here.
#NCTE24
November 21-24 in Boston, Massachusetts
“When we teach our students, it is far more than teaching for that moment and far more than teaching a particular skill in isolation.
When we teach our students, the larger, more far-reaching purpose is for our scholars to learn to use the lessons from the classroom to transform their own lives and the lives of others.”
Tonya B. Perry – 2024 Program Chair | NCTE President-Elect
About the Fellows
James St. Pierre is a national board-certified teacher with thirty years of teaching experience at Fryeburg Academy where he has taught courses in English and biology and served as English department chair. In addition to his work at the secondary level, he also holds the position of Lecturer at both Granite State College and White Mountains Community College, where he has taught as an adjunct for two decades. He holds a master’s degree in English Literature from Middlebury College and has presented at state and regional conferences regarding the medium of comics. He is married with two sons and enjoys making comics in his free time.
Dorie Tripp is a national board-certified music teacher with 14 years’ experience teaching elementary music in Maine public schools. Over the years, it has been her mission to promote music instruction that is developmentally appropriate, inclusive, diverse, and engaging. In her quest to do this, she has taken on many roles as a learner and leader. Dorie spent two terms as Vice President of the Maine Music Educators Association, contributed to the Maine Arts Leadership Initiative as a Design Team member, was an active member of the Maine Learning Results writing team for the Visual and Performing Arts, and co-hosted a series of PD sessions for educators during the Covid 19 pandemic. In 2021, she was awarded the MMEA Music Educator of the Year Award. In this next step of her journey, Dorie is looking forward to working with the Maine DOE. She’s excited to practice, share, and support unique learning opportunities for Maine students and educators!
Contact
James St. Pierre
Humanities Teacher Leader Fellow
Email: James.St.Pierre@maine.gov
Dorie Tripp
Humanities Teacher Leader Fellow
Email: Dorie.Tripp@maine.gov