The following text is from the Maine Department of Education.
The Maine Department of Education (DOE) has welcomed its 2024/25 Teacher Leader Fellows. The new class of six extraordinary educators are from across the state and bring expertise in civics, personal finance, integrated arts, and multilingual learning, specifically with newcomers, as well as multilingual learners with disabilities.
Please help us welcome Breanna Bellefontaine-Krupski from Scarborough High School, Joshua Chard the 2024 Maine Teacher of the Year, Samantha Drost from Caribou High School, Rebecca Carey from RSU 3, Jenny Lunt from South Portland Middle School, and Melissa Frans from Portland Public Schools!
The civics, art, and/or personal finance Teacher Leader Fellows will provide educators across Maine with integrated resources and materials, host professional learning opportunities, and maintain webpages with rich and informative content. To receive weekly communications and monthly professional learning around civics, art, and/or personal finance, click here (Select a subscription to – “Integrate THIS – 2024/25 Teacher Leader Fellows Newsletter”)
Also, be on the lookout for curated resources and materials, integrated professional learning opportunities, and facilitated responsive communities of practice, all designed for educators working with elementary and secondary newcomers and multilingual learners with disabilities, PreK-12. Visit the Maine DOE Multilingual Learner website to learn more!
For more information about this or other innovative teaching and learning programs at the Maine Department of Education, contact, Beth Lambert, Chief Teaching and Learning Officer, at beth.lambert@maine.gov.
Jenny Lunt
Maine DOE Multilingual Learner (ML) Teacher Leader Fellow: Secondary Newcomer
ESOL Teacher, South Portland Middle School
“I’m so excited to be part of this new type of support for working with multilingual students and families. It is an honor to help respond to the shifts popping up in schools around the state. As an educator, my passion is finding new ways to be culturally and linguistically responsive and asset-focused. As a student advocate, I’ve been lucky to be part of the journeys of many students – from newly arrived students to multilingual students who are now serving on school boards in their communities. In this new TLF role, I’m excited to share my own learning that has come from years of facing challenges and collecting wisdom from colleagues, students, and families. I’m also thrilled to be able to do this work to serve folks in Maine – a place I adore and feel grateful to be,” said Jenny Lunt, Multilingual Learner Teacher Leader Fellow.
Jenny has been an ESOL teacher in the Portland area for more than 15 years and has taught 5th through 12th grades. She is currently working as a 7th and 8th grade ESOL teacher at South Portland Middle School. Jenny earned a Bachelor of Arts from Barnard College in Political Science and a Master’s Degree in Teaching from University of Southern Maine as a recipient of the Maine Education Association’s Scholarship Program for Teacher Preparation Programs. She is passionate about supporting an asset-based approach for all MLs and engagement with families.
Questions or thoughts about supporting newcomers at the secondary level? Email Jenny! Let’s get the conversation started! Jennifer.Lunt@maine.gov