{"id":22194,"date":"2023-01-19T13:27:44","date_gmt":"2023-01-19T18:27:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/edhd\/?p=22194"},"modified":"2023-01-19T13:27:44","modified_gmt":"2023-01-19T18:27:44","slug":"teaching-is-my-calling-heather-anderson-umaine-alumna-and-aroostook-county-teacher-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/edhd\/2023\/01\/19\/teaching-is-my-calling-heather-anderson-umaine-alumna-and-aroostook-county-teacher-of-the-year\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Teaching is my calling’: Heather Anderson, 91爆料 alumna and Aroostook County Teacher of the Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

Things have come full circle for Heather Anderson.<\/p>\n

In the 8th grade, she decided she wanted to become a teacher. Now, almost 30 years later, she\u2019s in her second full year as an 8th grade English language arts and social studies teacher at Caribou Community School.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was in the 8th grade, I was part of a leadership program that paired middle school students with community service projects. My project involved working in a local kindergarten classroom,\u201d says Anderson. \u201cI loved working with the students so much that in high school I continued to volunteer. I knew this is what I wanted to do with my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also jumped at other opportunities to work with younger children, such as volunteering with Big Brothers, Big Sisters.<\/p>\n

\u201cTeaching is my calling,\u201d she says. \u201cOnce I decided I wanted to be a teacher, I never really doubted it and I\u2019ve followed my dream ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it came time to go to college, Anderson knew she wanted to major in education. Having grown up in Jay in western Maine, she could have stayed close to home and attended the 91爆料 at Farmington. But she opted to attend the flagship 91爆料 in Orono instead.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to learn about and experience more than just how to be a teacher,\u201d she says. \u201cAt 18 years old, I knew that I needed to grow into being who I was going to be. 91爆料 was the perfect distance from home and it was big enough that it gave me an opportunity to discover who I was and who I could grow to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anderson graduated from 91爆料 in May 1999 with a bachelor\u2019s degree in elementary education and a concentration in psychology. In July of that year, she was hired to teach kindergarten at the K\u20136 Connor Consolidated School in the unorganized territory of Connor, just north of Caribou.<\/p>\n

\u201cSteve Anderson, the principal at Connor, talked to the administration at the Bangor schools where I was a student teacher,\u201d she recalls. \u201cMr. Anderson asked me to come up to tour the school and offered me the job right on the spot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cConnor was seeking a kindergarten teacher as well as a music teacher, and there were zero applicants for the music position\u201d she adds. \u201cI played piano and even though I wasn\u2019t a music teacher, this gave me the edge I needed. So during my first few years, I taught kindergarten in the mornings and then I would team teach with the other teachers to provide music instruction. I learned so much through this experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anderson was at Connor Consolidated School for 21 years, teaching everything from kindergarten through 4th grade and eventually becoming the school\u2019s teaching principal for five years.<\/p>\n

Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a relatively new teaching principal during the pandemic and it provided an opportunity for me to reflect on where I was at professionally,\u201d Anderson says. \u201cI looked at what I was doing and realized I was spending less and less time with kids and more time with paperwork. And I thought to myself, \u2018This isn\u2019t really why I got into education.\u2019 At heart, I am a teacher.\u201d<\/p>\n

Out of the blue one day, Anderson ran into her son\u2019s favorite teacher from Caribou Community School, Kim Barnes, who told her about an 8th grade opening at the middle school.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a sign,\u201d says Anderson, who applied for the position and got it, starting her new job in the fall of 2021.<\/p>\n

Less than a year later, she was nominated for 2022 Aroostook County Teacher of Year by Barnes, who herself was the 2019 Aroostook County Teacher of the Year.<\/p>\n

Anderson was also a finalist for 2023 Maine Teacher of the Year, a title that eventually went to Casco Bay High School\u2019s Matt Bernstein. Still, she\u2019s using her year of service as County Teacher of the Year to advocate for students and her fellow teachers, especially surrounding mental health and well-being in schools.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen a fair amount of trauma in my students over the years and I\u2019ve seen the impact it has on learning and teaching. My concern for my students\u2019 mental health has increased since COVID,\u201d says Anderson. \u201cI\u2019ve been able to meet with stakeholders, legislators and people at the Maine Department of Education who have the power to help address it.\u201d<\/p>\n

In her own classroom, Anderson has incorporated social-emotional learning into her regular curriculum.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do a unit on resilience. Every 8th grader learns the attributes of resilience. For example, how do we persevere or develop flexibility in our thinking?\u201d she says. \u201cSo, when we\u2019re reading novels or stories, our students are able to recognize those traits and think about how they can apply them to their own lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her classes also are working on community service projects, like the one that inspired her to become a teacher. The goal, she hopes, is to spark a similar sense of purpose and passion in her students.<\/p>\n

\u201cAgain, full circle. I really feel like I\u2019ve come full circle in so many ways,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Contact: Casey Kelly, casey.kelly@maine.edu<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Things have come full circle for Heather Anderson.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":135,"featured_media":22195,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"8","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"Things have come full circle for Heather Anderson.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","spc_primary_category":0},"categories":[1834,8,954,222],"tags":[709,3743,187,4034,4030,2638,3595,3748,25,4032,4031,2039,1428,2870,3589,4029,4035,2085,39,40,760,3943,1241,616,2392,1086,3602,2397,4033,61,65,997],"class_list":["post-22194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-elementary-education","category-news","category-school-of-learning-and-teaching","category-student-alumni-profiles","tag-aroostook-county","tag-aroostook-county-teacher-of-the-year","tag-bangor","tag-bangor-schools","tag-big-brothers-big-sisters","tag-caribou","tag-caribou-community-school","tag-casco-bay-high-school","tag-college-of-education-and-human-development","tag-connor","tag-connor-consolidated-school","tag-covid-19","tag-elementary-education","tag-english-language-arts","tag-heather-anderson","tag-jay","tag-kim-barnes","tag-kindergarten","tag-maine","tag-maine-department-of-education","tag-maine-teacher-of-the-year","tag-matt-bernstein","tag-music-education","tag-orono","tag-pandemic","tag-psychology","tag-social-studies","tag-social-emotional-learning","tag-steve-anderson","tag-umaine","tag-university-of-maine","tag-university-of-maine-at-farmington"],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":1834,"label":"Elementary Education"},{"value":8,"label":"News"},{"value":954,"label":"School of Learning and Teaching"},{"value":222,"label":"Student & Alumni Profiles"}],"post_tag":[{"value":709,"label":"Aroostook County"},{"value":3743,"label":"Aroostook County Teacher of the Year"},{"value":187,"label":"Bangor"},{"value":4034,"label":"Bangor schools"},{"value":4030,"label":"Big Brothers Big Sisters"},{"value":2638,"label":"Caribou"},{"value":3595,"label":"Caribou Community School"},{"value":3748,"label":"Casco Bay High School"},{"value":25,"label":"College of Education and Human Development"},{"value":4032,"label":"Connor"},{"value":4031,"label":"Connor Consolidated School"},{"value":2039,"label":"COVID-19"},{"value":1428,"label":"elementary education"},{"value":2870,"label":"English Language Arts"},{"value":3589,"label":"Heather Anderson"},{"value":4029,"label":"Jay"},{"value":4035,"label":"Kim Barnes"},{"value":2085,"label":"kindergarten"},{"value":39,"label":"Maine"},{"value":40,"label":"Maine Department of Education"},{"value":760,"label":"Maine Teacher of the Year"},{"value":3943,"label":"Matt Bernstein"},{"value":1241,"label":"music education"},{"value":616,"label":"Orono"},{"value":2392,"label":"pandemic"},{"value":1086,"label":"psychology"},{"value":3602,"label":"Social Studies"},{"value":2397,"label":"social-emotional learning"},{"value":4033,"label":"Steve Anderson"},{"value":61,"label":"91爆料"},{"value":65,"label":"91爆料"},{"value":997,"label":"91爆料 at Farmington"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/edhd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2023\/01\/Heather-Anderson-news-feature-1024x683.jpg",1024,683,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"ckelly","author_link":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/edhd\/author\/caseykelly-2\/"},"comment_info":"","category_info":[{"term_id":1834,"name":"Elementary Education","slug":"elementary-education","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1834,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":954,"count":58,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":1834,"category_count":58,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Elementary Education","category_nicename":"elementary-education","category_parent":954},{"term_id":8,"name":"News","slug":"news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":8,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":795,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":8,"category_count":795,"category_description":"","cat_name":"News","category_nicename":"news","category_parent":0},{"term_id":954,"name":"School of Learning and Teaching","slug":"school-of-learning-and-teaching","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":954,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":456,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":954,"category_count":456,"category_description":"","cat_name":"School of Learning and Teaching","category_nicename":"school-of-learning-and-teaching","category_parent":0},{"term_id":222,"name":"Student & Alumni Profiles","slug":"student-alumni-profiles","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":222,"taxonomy":"category","description":"Profiles of students and alumni of the College of Education and Human Development","parent":8,"count":271,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":222,"category_count":271,"category_description":"Profiles of students and alumni of the College of Education and Human Development","cat_name":"Student & Alumni Profiles","category_nicename":"student-alumni-profiles","category_parent":8}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":709,"name":"Aroostook County","slug":"aroostook-county","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":709,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":9,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":3743,"name":"Aroostook County Teacher of the Year","slug":"aroostook-county-teacher-of-the-year","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3743,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":187,"name":"Bangor","slug":"bangor","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":187,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":48,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":4034,"name":"Bangor schools","slug":"bangor-schools","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":4034,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":4030,"name":"Big Brothers Big Sisters","slug":"big-brothers-big-sisters","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":4030,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":2638,"name":"Caribou","slug":"caribou","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2638,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":5,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":3595,"name":"Caribou Community School","slug":"caribou-community-school","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3595,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":3,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":3748,"name":"Casco Bay High School","slug":"casco-bay-high-school","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3748,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":25,"name":"College of Education and Human Development","slug":"college-of-education-and-human-development","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":25,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":599,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":4032,"name":"Connor","slug":"connor","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":4032,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":4031,"name":"Connor Consolidated School","slug":"connor-consolidated-school","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":4031,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":2039,"name":"COVID-19","slug":"covid-19","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2039,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":51,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":1428,"name":"elementary education","slug":"elementary-education","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1428,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":41,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":2870,"name":"English Language Arts","slug":"english-language-arts","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2870,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":5,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":3589,"name":"Heather Anderson","slug":"heather-anderson","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3589,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":3,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":4029,"name":"Jay","slug":"jay","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":4029,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":4035,"name":"Kim Barnes","slug":"kim-barnes","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":4035,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":2085,"name":"kindergarten","slug":"kindergarten","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2085,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":5,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":39,"name":"Maine","slug":"maine","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":39,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":354,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":40,"name":"Maine Department of Education","slug":"maine-department-of-education","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":40,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":89,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":760,"name":"Maine Teacher of the Year","slug":"maine-teacher-of-the-year","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":760,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":22,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":3943,"name":"Matt Bernstein","slug":"matt-bernstein","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3943,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":1241,"name":"music education","slug":"music-education","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1241,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":7,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":616,"name":"Orono","slug":"orono","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":616,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":39,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":2392,"name":"pandemic","slug":"pandemic","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2392,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":35,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":1086,"name":"psychology","slug":"psychology","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1086,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":8,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":3602,"name":"Social Studies","slug":"social-studies","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3602,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":5,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":2397,"name":"social-emotional learning","slug":"social-emotional-learning","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2397,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":16,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":4033,"name":"Steve Anderson","slug":"steve-anderson","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":4033,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":61,"name":"91爆料","slug":"umaine","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":61,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":645,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":65,"name":"91爆料","slug":"university-of-maine","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":65,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":760,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":997,"name":"91爆料 at Farmington","slug":"university-of-maine-at-farmington","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":997,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":17,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/edhd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/edhd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/edhd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/edhd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/135"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/edhd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22194"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/edhd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22194\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22196,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/edhd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22194\/revisions\/22196"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/edhd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/edhd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/edhd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/edhd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}