MCELA Matters

On the Importance of Professional Connection 

by Courtney Mann

MCELA Executive Board Member & Historian

English Teacher at Marshwood High School 

I moved to Maine very suddenly and unexpectedly in the summer of 2010. At the end of my third year of teaching I went to my first MCELA conference. And then - that same day - my best friend/teacher soulmate Renee Douctte had me “sit in” and “listen” to my first executive board meeting, which (little did I know) meant she was pulling me onto the board, whether I liked it or not. (I liked it.)

Of course, I felt grossly under-qualified to even sit in the room - I’d been teaching for barely three years, I’d barely survived my two probationary years, I still got Portland and Portsmouth confused sometimes. How could I possibly be a good candidate to join the executive board of anything? 

As I looked around at the other people in the room, and everyone was older, more experienced, had insightful and funny things to say, and I felt overwhelmed, but also comforted by the passion shown by all of the people I met that day. 

Joining MCELA was a turning point for me, professionally. Once I started going to MCELA meetings, I was treated like a peer by the veteran teachers sitting around the tables with me, which was a heady and also fulfilling experience. I listened intently to teachers who had been in the classroom for over thirty years talk about the new things they were trying and hash out their opinions on the current state of education. 

Being treated like someone who had things to say and contribute to these conversations I became someone who had things to say and contribute to these conversations. Not right away -- I think I sat and listened at meetings for a full year before I really felt like I could join in in a meaningful way. But sitting in the room and listening to the discussions that happened was inspiring. I was genuinely excited by the idea that someone could be a high school English teacher for thirty years and still be in love with the work, still adore what they did every day, still be engaged and passionate and experimenting with their methods. 

Being involved in this organization has been vital to my development as an engaged educator and as a resident of Maine, but especially as a developing teacher-leader. By being a member of MCELA, I’ve learned so much about teaching. Some specific techniques, sure, but more than that, I’ve learned what it looks like to be a truly engaged and passionate teacher. Simply being in the same room as the other members of MCELA once a month made me a better, more thoughtful teacher. I got hooked into what was going on at the state level here, and realized pretty quickly that the community of educators in Maine is small enough that our little organization can have a real voice and do work that actually goes somewhere and means something. 

For me, professional connection has meant everything. It gets me through the rough patches that we all have each year. I've made friends and been influenced and mentored by some of the best English teachers in the state. Joining MCELA made me realize that I do have things to say and contribute to our profession, and it’s given me the place to go to do that. I became a teacher thinking I would be satisfied staying in my classroom doing my own thing forever, and now that’s not enough.