TOY Process

My favorite teacher Mrs. Dutton was at the T.O.Y. Surprise Assembly!!!

The journey began with a building nomination from my peers, a site visit from a Westbrook TOY committee that observed me in my classroom teaching for approximately an hour followed by an interview which I was scored on.  The next day I found out that I was Westbrook’s Teacher of the Year.

The Westbrook School System then filled out an application for me to be considered for the MTOY.  For the past ten years the Westbrook School System has been an active participant in the Maine Teacher of the Year process by honoring a teacher each year.  In late Winter, I was accepted to start the MTOY process which included writing a few essays on the application packet and going to the Hall of Flags in Augusta to showcase some of the things that were going on in my school and in my classroom.  At the Hall of Flags we met the Commissioner of Education Susan Gendron, Governor Baldacci, State Represenatives, the 2008 Teacher of the Year, Marty McKeon,  and the 2009 MTOY nominees.  It was the start to some wonderful friendships!

Soon after attending the Hall of Flags we were notified on whether or not we were a Regional Finalist.  My journey fortunately continued… the next step in the process was a school visit by the MTOY Selection Committeed.  The committee came in mid May and observed me teach, met with a panel of past and current students and parents, my administrators, the Congin Staff at a luncheon and an interview with me.   As a Regional Finalist the next step in the process was to make a portfolio that addressed eight specific questions/topics with the option of artifacts to be passed in on the day of the oral presentation (we had to do a lesson we would do in our own class or just speak about teaching in front of a panel of judges, graduate students from UMaine majoring in education, and many other people who accompanied their Teacher of the Year.)  Both requirements were scored by seperate groups and your site visit was no longer a factor in the outcome for selecting the finalists. 

Amazingly, my TOY Journey continued onward as one of the four finalist.  Truly shocked by this awesome news, I was asked to come to Augusta for a final interview in August.  One of the neat things about this process is after your interview you are not told either way how you did.  You are surprised by an assembly at your school sometime in September.  It’s like winning Publisher’s Clearing House!!!  Actually, it is much better than that, because you are surrounded by people who all have a part in this award.  Everyone at Congin School is an outstanding teacher in their own sense (administration, teachers, support staff, students, parents), so when I received this enormous gift of being Maine’s 2009 Teacher of the Year, it was for them as much as it was for me.  Thank you just is not enough to say for this incredible opportunity…I am truly so grateful and humbled. Also, a very heart-felt thank you to Hannaford for their generous support of this program.  If you would like to know more about the Maine Teacher of the Year Program go to:  www.maine.gov/education/toy

For more on my journey as the Maine Teacher of the Year go to the HOME page and follow my most recent adventures!