Schools across the state held their final classes of the 2021-2022 school year this week, marking the official start of summer for Maine students, parents and teachers. However, approximately 125 educators will not leave the classroom just yet, as they participate in the University of Maine’s first annual Educator Institute to be held virtually June 22-23.
The theme of this new UMaine Summer School program, developed in conjunction with the Maine Department of Education, is “Supporting Emotional and Behavioral Wellness in School Communities: From Survival to prosperity”.
“Educators have always faced challenges, many of which have been amplified by the pandemic, as well as the social and cultural environment of recent years,” says Penny Bishop, Dean of UMaine College of Education and Human Development. “We are launching this institute in hopes of equipping teachers and other school-based professionals with new knowledge and strategies that they can take back to their schools next year to meet these challenges head-on.”
The program has six components, with workshops led by UMaine faculty members, as well as educators and other experts from across the state and beyond. The six strands are diversity, equity, inclusion and justice; Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS); trauma and resilience; Social-Emotional Learning (SEL); Student-centred learning; and Exploring Wabanaki Studies.
The institute will also include keynote addresses by Dr. Judith Josiah-Martin, UMaine School of Social Work faculty member and former director of UMaine’s Office of Multicultural Student Life, and Dr. Catherine Bradshaw, university professor and senior associate dean for research. and faculty development at the University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development.
Participants are eligible to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for professional development. Additionally, more than a dozen educators will participate in the institute as part of a three-credit graduate course that runs from mid-June to mid-July and includes additional content and strategies .
“We are excited about the program at this inaugural institute and look forward to working with the College of Education and Human Development to make this the premier summer personal and professional development opportunity for educators in Maine,” said Patricia Libby, vice-president. deanery. of the UMaine Division of Lifelong Learning.
In addition to the UMaine Institute of Educators, UMaine’s Division of Lifelong Learning offers two other summer school opportunities for teachers and educators: the Workshop on UMaine’s climate change: “Educational tools on climate change”, July 12 and 13; and the Summer Technology Institute: “Cooperation Across Environments and Boundaries,” August 2-4.
Contact: Casey Kelly, [email protected]
