WILTON – Lucinda Poulin said she did not recognize herself when a representative from Wal-Mart read her nomination for Teacher of the Year during a meeting at Cushing School on Monday.
“This teacher can encourage students who do not care for school to do well, as they want to do well for her,” wrote the anonymous person who nominated her.
“I was surprised; it was a nice honor,” she said Thursday.
The fifth-grade teacher has been motivating pupils to learn for 21 years, all at Academy Hill School.
“I work hard to get to know the kids to figure out how to make them feel successful in my room,” she said, sitting at a table in her tidy classroom, quiet while her pupils attended other classes Thursday.
“I use humor a lot, letting them know that I’m a person too,” she said.
Her biggest challenges are keeping up with paperwork and finding ways to motivate her pupils, she said.
“I want to motivate them to enjoy school,” she said. “I want them to take risks, sharing new ideas or trying new strategies to solve problems,” she added.
Ellie Shepard, a student teacher from the University of Maine at Farmington, was assigned to work with Poulin this semester. Thursday was Shepard’s last day with Poulin. She graduates this weekend.
It’s meant a lot to her to have worked with Poulin, she said. Her mentor modeled ways of building rapport with students and taught her that organization is key.
“She uses a lot of positive reinforcement,” and never has to resort to negative consequences, she said.
“If you have clear expectations and kids feel safe, then they really take responsibility,” she added.
Poulin’s most gratifying moments teaching are when she knows the kids understand what she’s teaching – “when the light comes on.”
As a Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year, Poulin was awarded $1,000 to use toward enhancing her classroom. She plans to use the money to buy books and provide more technology, she said.
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