Super Story - Inside Education

So this episode is a little different. I attended the National Conference on Education in New Orleans this spring and knew it would provide a great opportunity to hear from the diverse array of superintendent from across the country. I asked them all the same question: "What great things are happening in your school district?" I wanted to sprinkle the stardust around. The variety of responses was...

If you like what you hear today, sign up for my Substack newsletter. If you have a story worth sharing, email me superstorypod@gmail.com I visited several schools in Finland in 2015 as part of a school trip. There were a few things that really struck me. One was the fact that becoming a teacher in Finland was as competitive as becoming a doctor. Another was that students were in control of which t...

If you like what you hear today, sign up for my Substack newsletter. If you have a story worth sharing, email me superstorypod@gmail.com A few years ago, we hired a teacher from Texas, who struggled for months to find housing in Camden or Rockport, Maine. Despite two house hunting trips she found nothing. With her Texas home sold, she temporarily moved to Minnesota to stay with her father, while c...

If you like what you hear today, sign up for my Substack newsletter. If you have a story worth sharing, email me superstorypod@gmail.com Today's guest is a woman in high demand this time of year. Clare Galloway is a college consultant who works with students mainly from the New England and New York area. She was an assistant dean of admissions at Colgate for two years, and then in the same positio...

My guest today is Camillo who is coming up on the end of first grade. I first met Camillo when I was visiting the elementary school last fall. He was friendly, outgoing, and dare I say dapper. A few months later he starred as the host in a video created for the school board to understand the elementary school schedule. Not long after that I was sitting at a high top in a local coffee shop one week...

Today's guest is Jane Self. She has worked as the assistant to a string of four different principals over the past twenty years at Camden Hills Regional High School. She is acutely attune to school operations and many consider her to be the de facto second principal. She had two children go through the school system and she rides her bike to work most days. She's been a force of strength, stabilit...

My guest today is Lucas who is currently an eighth grader in middle school. Most middle schoolers, at this point in the school year are ready to leave middle school behind and eager to start high school. That cycle happens all over again when they are seniors in high school and then again when they are seniors in college. Developmentally they are exactly where they should be, ready to move onto th...

My guest today is Tanya Young, a woman who has been a school counselor for over twenty years and has been in our middle school for over fifteen years.  In that time, she has seen and heard at all. From teaching sex education to making home visits to supporting anxious students on overnight field trips, Tanya has extended herself in ways that many people are never required to.  Her expertise and ex...

My guest today is Alison Babb-Brott. This is her second year teaching first grade in our school district though she's been teaching for about a decade. Her family has a rich history in our town. Her great great grandfather was superintendent of the Knox Woolen Mill in downtown Camden from 1889 to 1956. He worked at the mill for total of 70 years. When I moved to Camden as a child in 1974, Ali's gr...

On today's episode I'm talking with two high school boys: Mac Pierce, a sophomore and Finlay Fitch, a junior. Both are on the soccer team and Mac is my cousin's son. We've lived in the same community his whole life so he's like a nephew to me. We are going to talk soccer, phones and get some insight into being a teenage boy in high school.

Today's guest, fifth grade teacher Heather Butler, is the epitome of teaching excellence. She is highly skilled instructionally and has a spark in her eye that makes her students feel valued and loved. She's the kind of teacher that parents pray for their child to end up in her class. We are so fortunate that she applied for an opening that we had three years ago.

I feel like I have known Kristi Hardy-Gilson for my entire life. We both grew up locally and my now grown children both had her as their multiage teacher for three years. She is the teacher that parents want their children to have but it has not always been easy for her. The field of education has changed significantly since she started and she has witnessed many leaders come and go. That can take...

There are events in history, whose timestamp leaves an indelible mark on us. Etched into our memory is exact moment JFK was killed, when the planes crashed into the twin towers, or the day you laid eyes on the love of your life. Well, one of those memories for me was the day I met Jaime Stone, today's guest. She is in her 10th year as principal at our middle school. To say Jaime is an inspirationa...

There are events in history, whose timestamp leaves an indelible mark on us. Etched into our memory is exact moment JFK was killed, when the planes crashed into the twin towers, or the day you laid eyes on the love of your life. Well, one of those memories for me was the day I met Jaime Stone, today's guest. She is in her 10th year as principal at our middle school. To say Jaime is an inspirationa...

Today's episode marks a couple of firsts for me. It's the first occasion where I'll be hosting not one, but two guests on this podcast. Additionally, it's the first time I'm engaging in a conversation with individuals whom I haven't met before. Embracing change, I've decided to roll with it. What could possibly go wrong, right? My guests, Caroline and Danika, are a junior and senior in our high sc...

My guest today is Ellen Curtis, a special education paraprofessional or educational technician at our middle school for 30 years. She provides individual in-class support and small group instruction to students who need an extra academic lift. She's also been involved in our theater program for the past 12 years and has taken care of many of her coworkers' dogs when they are out of town.

I feel like we hit a jackpot when we hired Heather Bowen to lead our bold new nature-based PreK program. Some might say we stole her from a wonderful local (but private) preschool program in our community. Her love of children and belief in the outdoors as an effective classroom run deep in her veins. I am excited to talk to her about that experience.

Today, I'm joined by Joel Gabriele, a 2011 graduate of Camden Hills. During his time in our school system, Joel played a crucial role in our basketball success, notably during the years when we were a dominant force in the sport. I vividly recall Joel's eighth-grade year, a time when our middle school had to form two eighth-grade basketball teams due to the high number of students participating. R...

A huge sacrifice I made moving into district leadership was a direct connection with students. Building relationships with students had always been one of my greatest strengths and I miss it. Consequently, I always love having student guests on this podcast. Today's guest is high school junior Tula Bradley-Prindiville. In many ways Tula is a typical well-rounded and high achieving student, taking...

I remember the year Kristen started working in our district. I was a slightly seasoned math teacher, and she was a hip, young, twenty-something. She is not quite as young, but she is just as hip. Kristen teaches art at our middle school, and she has created an incredibly welcoming environment where students explore their creative sides in so many mediums. From sgraffito to glass mobiles to traditi...

Marcus Mrowka is the current chair of the school board for one of the districts where I am Superintendent. He has been on the board for four years and cares deeply about education. He moved to the midcoast after living and working in Washington, D.C. for twenty years. Marcus used to be the Communications Director for the American Federation of Teachers. Shortly after moving to Maine, he became the...

Today's guest is Maggie Massengale. I wanted to invite her in because she shined so brightly as a custodian, and I also wanted to hear about her transition to becoming an administrator. Maggie was a beloved middle school custodian for 23 years. During her time there, she wore many hats including track and cross-country coach and athletic coordinator. Students truly adored her. Her hard work and de...

My guest today is Imogen. I first met Imogen last spring at our elementary school when she was a 4th grader. I had a fascinating conversation with her. Months have passed since that time. Summer vacation is coming to a close and school actually starts next week. Imogen will be starting 5th grade in our middle school. In this episode we will hear her perspective of elementary school, what a 10 year...

Today's guest, Scott Kady, is a rare specimen: a fourth-grade classroom teacher who is male. Only 11% of elementary teachers in this country identify as male. At our elementary school, only two out of the thirty-five teachers are men. We need more of them. All elementary students need male role models in a school setting. Scott has been in our district for five years and thank goodness he followed...

My guest today, Debbie Merchant, raised three boys in our community and is a tennis pro at the local indoor courts. She is an amazing tennis player as are her three sons. She is a local legend and even gave a lesson to John Travolta when he was in the area. We were incredibly lucky that a fellow tennis buff convinced her to become a bus driver. Her bright smile is just what students need to start...