Wiscasset Middle High School teachers took advantage of the public comment portion of the Wiscasset School Committee meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 12 to voice their concerns about the current climate at the school.
Two WMHS math teachers, Rebecca Bessette and Erika Holbrook, discussed how they and other WMHS teachers are feeling overwhelmed and overworked.
“Lately I’ve been very tired at work, and a lot of teachers have felt the same way where we felt alone in our classrooms when dealing with discipline issues,” said Bessette.
Bessette said that she admires the administrative staff at WMHS for “doing their best to continue their own duties and trying to fill the gap when we’re down a person.”
WMHS Principal Gina Stevens has been on paid administrative leave since Oct. 30, following an investigation into the alleged installation of a hidden camera in a WMHS classroom without the knowledge of the past or current superintendent, according to Wiscasset Schools Superintendent Kim Andersson. (See related story on page 1.)
Holbrook said that teachers at WMHS are beginning to see a decline in student morale, and Stevens’ absence has teachers feeling misguided.
“I really would just hate to see this scab being open for much longer because I think it’s going to be really destructive in the long term, and something that’s going to take a lot of work to come back from,” Holbrook said. “I think it’s important to know that a lot of us are really struggling during this time and really do not know what to do. We feel very stuck … I feel like we had just an amazing, strong start to this year, and we’re lacking a leader.”
In addition, Holbrook said that student behaviors are becoming a struggle and that, currently, multiple students are displaying challenging behaviors that are “potentially dangerous or disruptive and hurtful.”
Bessette urged the school committee to consider looking into “an extra set of hands and an extra set of eyes” to take some of the burden off of teachers’ shoulders.
The next meeting of the Wiscasset School Committee will be Stevens’ hearing, which will span two days. It will begin on Wednesday, Dec. 20 at 4 p.m. and will continue Thursday, Dec. 21 at 4 p.m. Both meetings will take place in the Wiscasset Elementary School gym.
The next regular Wiscasset School Committee meeting will take place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024 in the WMHS library.
