AOS 93 alternative learning teacher Mrs. Maureen Trial (a.k.a. Mrs. T) was honored with the Commissioner’s Recognition Award during a ceremony held at the Blaine House in Augusta May 25.
“I didn’t expect it,” she said of receiving the award from former Maine Commissioner of Education Susan Gendron.
Trial is the lead teacher in the AOS 93 Center for Alternative Learning, located at Nobleboro Central School.
The awards are presented each year to individuals who work diligently to address the needs of at-risk youth in Maine. Educators, judges, police officers, social workers, corrections officers and many others have been honored with the award for their efforts to make the lives of young people successful.
A highly energetic woman, Trial said, “I think I do this job because I just love these kids.” According to Trial, at-risk students are not engaged with learning in the traditional way.
“They learn more hand-on, and sometimes at a slower pace. It is experiential learning. For example, right now we are building rockets, and studying pond life,” she said.
The school district, then known as Union 74, started the alternative learning program five years ago, and Trial has worked in it from the beginning. “We develop whole academic goals they [the students] have to achieve; goals on being social, and friendship goals,” she said. “We use a whole-child approach.”
She praised the students’ parents for their support and help. “We have a family-centered program. If there is a behavior issue, I talk to the parents first before going to the principal,” she said. “I need to find out where behavior challenges are coming from. The key to me is parents.”
Trial was completely bowled over by the state honor. She received the news in the mail. “It [award announcement] was in the mailbox, congratulating me. I didn’t even know I was nominated,” she said. “It had to be the principal, or the board. It was not something I even knew was in the works.”
Trial brought two students along with her to receive the award May 25, Tia Abbott and Austin Waning, “and my son Jeffrey, and his girlfriend Nora Snow. I was so surprised I was the only teacher that brought students,” she said. “That was kind of interesting. I wouldn’t be there without them.”
“I was very happy, and I thought it was cool that they recognized Mrs. T that way,” said Tia Abbott, “She is a cool teacher; she is understanding and helpful. Anytime of the day she is here for us, and I’m glad they noticed that.”
Austin Waning concurred, and said, “I was really proud and happy because I know Mrs. T is the best teacher in the state!”
As her students praised her, Trial praised them right back. “I have been in the field for 25 years now and these kids – they make me grow as a person every day; they make me a better person, just being with them every day.
“I’ve been blessed to work in this program. Yes, it can be crazy, stressful, and some days are better than others, they’ve made me such a better person over the last five years, she said.
“I’ve become more patient – more understanding. There are a lot of people who live very hard lives in Maine, and I respect them. They are [at] the core of this community and they are working hard for their families. I think we need to remember that.”
