JAY – Jaime Melcher plans to teach third grade.

It was her own third-grade teacher, Heidi Stanhope, now Heidi Goodwin of Farmington, who made her realize she wanted to become an educator.

“She just made learning fun. She didn’t just teach. She kind of acted like a friend. She could get down on the kids’ level,” said Melcher, 19.

“When my grandfather died, she was right there supporting me throughout the whole situation. She let me know that if I needed a hug or a shoulder to cry on, she would be there.”

Her work at church and as a Christian camp counselor, her experiences at Jay High School, and the support she had received from educators and family have deepened her resolve to make a difference in children’s lives.

“I feel very strongly about being a teacher. I really do,” Melcher said Monday. “I just love the idea of being able to have a big impact on a little child and hopefully in the future, they would keep me in the back of their mind and they’ll remember their third-grade teacher and they might want to return the favor and have an impact on someone else.”

That would cause a domino influence, she said.

Melcher learned last week that she was awarded an Educators for Maine Forgivable Loan.

The highly competitive program recognizes students who have consistently excelled in their academic careers, according to the letter she received from Gov. John Baldacci.

The program will give Melcher $3,000 each of the four years she plans to study for a degree in elementary education, and $2,000 for each of the two years she plans to study for her master’s degree.

If she teaches in Maine for three years after graduation, the loan will be forgiven.

As part of the application, Melcher had to write an essay describing what kind of teacher she wanted to be, and the characteristics she had to be successful.

The essay starts with Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote: “What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.”

Melcher wrote: “The characteristics that make up a person are not defined by the situations we face, they are defined by how we learn from them.”

Melcher said she believes her “determination and passion are the two attributes of my personality that will mold me into the greatest teacher I can become.”

Melcher, whose parents are Edward and Bonnie Melcher, learned about her award while attending the University of Maine at Farmington’s Summer Experience. She plans to attend the university in fall.

During an interview at their home recently, Bonnie Melcher spoke about her daughter. With her voice husky with emotion, she said Jaime was a comfortable baby when she carried her for nine months.

“I had dreamed I wanted a girl. That God blessed me with more than what I would have thought of and what I expected to have for a girl – I’m very proud of her,” she said.

Copy the Story Link