Rural Thrive:

The Rural Educator Resilience Project

All rural educators deserve to thrive

A map of Maine showing connections between different communities.

Early Career Support

Most early-career educators (years 1-3) need support in similar areas, regardless of where and what subjects or grade levels they teach. Learning about classroom management, where to find resources, managing the needs of diverse learners and developing a professional network is usually done by connecting with other novice teachers and with veterans who serve as mentors. Rural Thrive has two initiatives aimed at meeting the needs of these teachers: Thrive Foundations and the Rural Substitute Teaching and Innovation Corps (RuSTIC). Learn more about each of these programs below.

Thrive Foundations

Thrive Foundations is a program that aims to support early-career teachers (Novices) as they enter the profession by connecting them with experienced educators (Thrive Guides) across districts, and by facilitating communities of practice and retreats where targeted learning and reflection can take place. The early-career learning process can be haphazard even under the best of circumstances. The challenge is magnified in smaller, rural school districts, where new teachers might be the only staff member at their grade level or in their subject area. Read up on the different pathways or trails through which you can participate in Thrive Foundations below.

The Guided Trail pairs fellows (novice educators) with guides (veteran educators) for deep support, including virtual community of practice sessions, and two in-person retreats annually. Teachers on The Guided Trail are eligible for and expected to participate in:

  • $1,000 stipend + $400 in professional development (PD) funds and travel reimbursement
  • Contact hours
  • Two daylong, in-person PD retreats
  • Weekly one-on-one virtual meetings with a Thrive Guide (each meeting will be about an hour)
  • Monthly, virtual community of practice meetings with other fellows and guides (each meeting will be about two hours)

Priority will be given to novice teachers who apply before July 31, 2025, but we’ll do our best to match anyone who signs up.

Detailed Description of The Guided Trail
Guided Trail Sign-Up Form

The Community Trail offers novice teachers the opportunity to participate in a virtual community of practice, as well as two in-person retreats each year aimed at supporting their development as educators. Teachers on The Community Trail are eligible for and expected to participate in:

  • $500 stipend and travel reimbursement
  • Contact hours
  • Two daylong, in-person professional development retreats
  • Monthly, virtual community of practice meetings (each meeting will be about two hours)

We are hoping to have our first Community Trail meeting in late September 2025.

Detailed Description of The Community Trail
Community Trail Sign-up Form

The Reflection Trail provides novice teachers with two in-person retreats annually, where they can observe, learn and collaborate with other rural educators. Teachers on The Reflection Trail are eligible for and expected to participate in:

  • Travel reimbursement
  • Contact hours
  • Two daylong, in-person professional development retreats
Detailed Description of the Reflection Trail
Reflection Trail/fall 2025 Retreat sign up form

Thrive Guides are experienced educators who coach and support fellows (novice educators) on their teaching journeys. Guides are teachers with at least five years of experience as a K-12 teacher, strong instruction and classroom management skills, and high emotional intelligence. Being a Thrive Guide involves three to six hours of work per month. Guides are eligible for and expected to participate in:

  • $2,000 stipend + $500 in professional development funds (PD) and travel reimbursement
  • Contact hours
  • About six hours of summer virtual training
  • Weekly one-on-one virtual meetings with a fellow (each meeting will be about an hour)
  • Virtual observations and coaching of their fellow
  • Monthly guides-only meetings (each meeting will be about two hours)
  • Two daylong, in-person PD retreats

We are accepting applications on a rolling basis, and hoping to have our Guides selected by mid July 2025.

Detailed Description of the Thrive Guide Role
Thrive Guide Application

Any K-12 educator in Maine in their first three years of service is eligible to participate in Thrive Foundations! Just let your building or district administrator know and fill out our interest form above, or contact Mentor Teacher in Residence Laura Bean at laura.bean@maine.edu.

Still have questions? Fill out our interest form:

Thrive Foundations Interest Form

Rural Thrive Foundations Fall 2025 Retreat

Mapping What Matters

Join fellow early career educators for visits to local classrooms to see strong teaching in action, and to share reflections, insights and knowledge as we map what matters most on your teaching journey. Our fall 2025 Foundations retreat is open to any Maine teacher in their first three years of classroom teaching. The event is being held at the University of Maine at Presque Isle in partnership with the Central Aroostook Council on Education (CACE). Rural Thrive will provide:

  • Travel costs.
  • Lunch.
  • Contact hours.
  • Help finding a substitute teacher to cover your classroom.

When: Friday Nov. 7, 2025

Where: University of Maine at Presque Isle

Register
Rural Thrive Foundations Fall 2025 Retreat flyer.

To download the event flier, click on the image above and save it to your computer.

Rustic

RuSTIC is the Rural Substitute Teaching and Innovation Corps. This program connects undergraduate students interested in getting rural teaching experience with rural schools in need of substitute teachers. For example, each time one of Rural Thrive’s programs take in-service teachers out of their classrooms, we match preservice teachers from the UMaine College of Education and Human Development or one of our partner teacher preparation programs with those teachers’ classrooms to provide coverage for the day. RuSTIC participants get hands-on substitute teaching experience. In addition, members of the Rural Thrive team help RuSTIC students through their substitute teaching application, provide guidance about what to expect before they cover a classroom, and debrief the experience afterward. Partner districts benefit from the program as it broadens their substitute pool, since students who participate are more likely to sub in the district again if they are needed. If you would like to participate, click below to fill out our interest form.

Rustic Interest Form

In addition to gaining valuable teaching experiences, preservice education majors who participate in RuSTIC get the following benefits:

  • Daily substitute teaching pay rate in the assigned district
  • Mileage covered by the University of Maine
  • A $100 honorarium from Rural Thrive
  • Assistance with the substitute teaching application in the assigned district

Rural Thrive aims to offer RuSTIC Days one to two times per semester, which involves a full-day commitment to substitute in your assigned district. Every attempt is made to match you with a class that is within your major/area of interest. Fill out our interest form above and when the next RuSTIC Days are announced, we will reach out to you about participating.

Contact us

Ready to learn more about Thrive Foundations?

Send an email to Mentor Teacher in Residence Laura Bean, laura.bean@maine.edu.

Ready to learn more about RuSTIC?

Send an email to Rural Thrive Project Leader Catharine Biddle, catharine.biddle@maine.edu.