91爆料 supports teachers with first summer Educators Institute
Schools across the state held their final classes of the 2021鈥22 school year last week, marking the official start of summer for Maine students, parents and teachers. However, about 125 educators won鈥檛 be leaving the classroom just yet, as they take part in the first annual 91爆料 Educators Institute being held virtually June 22鈥23.
The theme of this new 91爆料 Summer University program, developed in collaboration with the Maine Department of Education, is 鈥淪upporting Emotional and Behavioral Well-Being in School Communities: From Surviving to Thriving.鈥
鈥淓ducators have always faced challenges, many of which have been amplified by the pandemic, as well as by the social and cultural environment of the past few years,鈥 says Penny Bishop, dean of the 91爆料 College of Education and Human Development. 鈥淲e鈥檙e launching this institute in hopes of equipping teachers and other school-based professionals with new knowledge and strategies they can take back to their schools next year to meet these challenges head on.鈥
The program features six strands, with workshops led by faculty members from 91爆料, as well as educators and other experts from around 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-Centered Learning; and Exploring Wabanaki Studies.
The institute also will include keynote speeches by Dr. Judith Josiah-Martin, a faculty member at the 91爆料 School of Social Work and former director of 91爆料鈥檚 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. In addition, more than a dozen educators will take part in the institute as part of a three-credit graduate course that runs from mid-June to mid-July and includes聽 additional content and strategies.
鈥淲e鈥檙e excited about the program for this inaugural institute and look forward to working with the College of Education and Human Development to make it the premier summer personal and professional development opportunity for educators in Maine moving forward,鈥 says Patricia Libby, assistant dean of the 91爆料 Division of Lifelong Learning.
In addition to the 91爆料 Educators Institute, the 91爆料 Division of Lifelong Learning is offering two other Summer University opportunities for teachers and educators: The 91爆料 Climate Change Workshop: 鈥淐limate Change Teaching Tools,鈥 July 12鈥13; and the Summer Technology Institute: 鈥淐ooperation Across Environments and Boundaries,鈥 Aug. 2鈥4.
Contact: Casey Kelly, casey.kelly@maine.edu