UMaine Extension Offers Time Out–for Teachers
Contact: Douglas G. Babkirk, (207) 712-1414
Portage, ME—University of Maine Cooperative Extension will hold the first Courage To Teach® weekend retreat series for public school teachers and university faculty members in Aroostook County at Hewe sBrook Lodge in Portage. The five-weekend program will begin October 23-25 and will provide anopportunity for 13 educators from diverse backgrounds to develop their personal and professional lives as teachers. Registration deadline is May1.
With a presence in all Maine counties, UMaine Cooperative Extension works closely with public school teachers and faculty across the state and it has selected Aroostook County as the first site to offer the first CourageTo Teach® series. Bruno Hicks, professor of Education at University of Maine at Fort Kent and Dave Ouellette, director of the Central Aroostook Council On Education based at University of Maine at Presque Isle, are helping to promote the program to educators across the county.
The three facilitators for the series are University of Maine faculty members and are affiliated with the National Center for Courage & Renewal – which developed the national Courage To Teach initiative. They are Shirley Hager of Chesterville; Richard Ackerman of Brooksville; and Portland resident, Doug Babkirk, whose parents grew up in Fort Kent and Madawaska.
Accordingto Babkirk, “With more teachers expecting to leave the profession as baby boomers approach retirement, the need for attracting and keeping quality teachers has never been greater. This program invites teachers and school leaders to set aside time in five weekend retreats to reflect on why they entered theteaching profession; what supports and hinders their love of teaching; and how they can create circles of support to feel connected to a larger group ofprofessionals with similar stories.”
Tok eep the program fee affordable, the series is financially supported by University of Maine Cooperative Extension and the chancellor’s office of the University of Maine System. Goals include promotion of inter-university collaboration in support of public school teachers, leaders and university faculty members. Total cost for each educator accepted into the five-weekend Courage To Teach® program, including meals and lodging, is $500. Efforts are now underway to attract additional funding from local school districts, area businesses and foundations to underwrite the balance of costs for running the program.
Teachers, school leaders and university faculty members interested in the Courage To Teach® Aroostook County program can visit extension.umaine.edu/courage2teach or contactDoug Babkirk at University of Maine Cooperative Extension at dbabkirk@umext.maine.edu or 712-1414. UMaine Extension programs are open and accessible to all in accordance with program goals.
For more than 90 years, University ofMaine Cooperative Extension has supported UMaine’s land-grant public educationrole by conducting community-driven, research-based programs in every Mainecounty.