Heather Whitaker, the alternative education teacher at Gorham Middle School (GMS), was recently awarded the Cumberland County Teacher of the Year Award.
The Maine Teacher of the Year awards are organized by Educate Maine who “believe the classroom teacher is the backbone of the American educational system and our Maine Teacher of the Year program honors their contributions and elevates the voice of the classroom teacher.”
The Educate Maine website details the objectives of the program; including recognizing and honoring the contributions of Maine’s public classroom teachers as well as inspiring future teachers. The process to find Teachers of the Year is very in-depth and includes essays, interviews portfolios, and an in-class visit.
“I am honored to receive the Cumberland County Teacher of the Year award,” said Whitaker. “Though it is designed to recognize one teacher from Cumberland County, in my case, winning this award would never have been possible without the extensive collaboration and support from my administrators, students, parents and colleagues.”
Whitaker has taught in Gorham for 18 years; in which time she has amassed an impressive portfolio. She has been on the Gorham Food Pantry Board of Directors since 2015 and helps grow and donate local food, as well as volunteering weekly. She continues this loving green thumb in the classroom, where ever year she works with students to grow and donate about 800 pounds of organic produce to the Gorham Food Pantry.
Whitaker is also a founding member of the Gorham Backpack Program, which provides Gorham students facing hunger with access to nutritious, easy-to-prepare food during weekends and holidays.
Eight years ago, Whitaker established the Alternative Education Program at GMS and has been the teacher since. During that time, she has designed a hands-on learning curriculum, trained and implemented Restorative Practices in classroom and, among others, established experiential learning opportunities with The Ecology School, Pineland Farms, and the Portland Water District.
“With their (administrators, students, parents) partnership, I have been able to mold the Alternative Education program into something that is truly student centered, and, for that, I am grateful,” said Whitaker.