When I was choosing a career in the mid 1970s, I was concerned I’d be frustrated with teaching and wouldn’t want to stay in education as a career – the advice I received didn’t encourage me either. So, I went into the private sector and worked in the insurance industry, rising through the ranks over 23 years to a position where I supervised as many as 50 people.
Some of the most appealing parts of my job involved my work with others, helping them learn new skills and creating a sense of community among those I supervised. My teams at work were always singled out for how they related to each other.
I found a way to do that sort of work in education – my second career. With the support of NEA and the Maine Education Association (MEA), I have had many opportunities to participate in workshops for personal development and to pass along what I have learned.
One workshop in particular lead me to a four-day restorative circle training in Washington, D.C. This is where I began to enjoy and increase my expertise in restorative practices. I was a pioneer at the state level and lead many workshops in this area and implicit bias.
I became the restorative practices coordinator for Lewiston Public Schools. In that role, as a paradigm shifter, I’ve helped build communities within the school and reduce the number of suspensions of our Black and brown students.
Since then, I’ve participated in NEA's Leaders for Just Schools and MEA's BIPOC Committee, which infuses equity into the MEA system. And I have been fortunate enough to find a process for communications among those in the education system that gives them a voice and a method for resolving their differences and building a supportive community.
It may not have been in the cards for me to go right into education but the path I took led me there eventually, and I think I could perhaps offer a different perspective and come to work with students and adults with an appreciation of how important community in education is.
