Local Spotlight: Danielle Pelletier

When asked what she loves most about teaching, York County Teacher of the Year Danielle Pelletier said, “Seeing students gain confidence in themselves and know that they’re capable of really great things.”

But Pelletier almost took a detour and missed her calling, as she was on track to be a social worker and earned a B.A. at the University of Southern Maine in that field.

Lucky for her third-grade students, she also completed a teaching component, which she described as a certification. From there, Pelletier was awarded a master’s in teaching and learning from USM.

“My heart was in working with kids; I was better served in education,” Pelletier said. It was a great program. I loved it.”

Pelletier, who has been at CK Burns School at 135 Middle St. in Saco for eight years, has lived in the city for 11 years. Before Burns, she taught first-graders at Skillin Elementary School in South Portland for eight years. Or, as she calls them, “the littles.”

The elementary school teacher has two daughters, ages 9 and 13 with her husband, Lance, who is in sales.

Pelletier was one of the 16 Maine educators chosen from each of the state’s counties to receive the Teacher of the Year honor, which is administered through the Maine Department of Education through a partnership with Educate Maine. She and her colleagues are charged to complete a year of service to the state, a mission that includes “lots of learning and giving feedback. We’ll promote learning in the state,” Pelletier said.

According to the Maine Department of Education’s website, “Maine County Teachers of the Year serve as ambassadors for teachers, students, and schools throughout their year of service.

“For example, Maine’s 2023 County Teachers of the Year created the #LoveMaineSchools campaign to celebrate the great things that are happening in schools across the state and lift up educator voices.”

Throughout the summer, the teachers will continue to participate in an intensive Maine State Teacher of the Year selection process; Maine’s Teacher of the Year will be announced in the fall.

The winners were announced on May 9 at the Maine State Capitol during Teacher Appreciation Week. Luminaries included Gov. Janet Mills, who was joined by Maine Department of Education Commissioner Pender Makin and 2024 Maine Teacher of the Year Joshua Chard.

The 16 educators were selected as County Teachers of the Year by a panel of teachers, principals and community members in their county from more than 600 teachers across Maine. Each was nominated by someone in their school community.

According to CK Burns Principal April Noble, Pelletier was also recognized as one of Maine’s State Finalists in 2022 for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching for grades K-6.

“This recognition is in alignment with the work that we witness with Danielle in school,” Noble wrote in her recommendation to the Maine Teacher of the Year Selection Panel. “… Danielle’s longevity and reputation at CK Burns speak volumes. As a classroom teacher, Danielle has established a reputation as someone teachers go to for support and advice on instructional strategies.”

Noble described Pelletier as an “amazing teacher” who provides a warm, welcoming classroom environment where students feel safe and empowered.

Pelletier said she “definitely was surprised” by the honor. “I’m still a little surprised at times. It is really exciting to have the opportunity to shed light on work teachers are doing in our area.”

Although she has “so many stories” about her work as an educator, Pelletier shared one anecdote that reflected why she became a teacher. She spoke of a former student who was “such a big and vibrant person … he would just love everything in school, but he was ‘busy.’” The boy’s busy nature led him to get into minor trouble. During a parent-teacher conference, however, his parents remarked that he felt “really confident” in school.

Conversely, she said one of the difficult things about teaching “is the amount of time that you have to put in … to other things,” including “learning a million different things about curriculums and paperwork.”

If she could change one thing, Pelletier said it would be “more space within education for students to follow their own passions … (which would) take them lots of different places.”

When asked if she would ever consider working with a different age group, Pelletier said she sometimes thinks about it, but added, “I don’t know if I’d move up to mid-grades. I think I’m in the sweet spot. Third-graders are more independent than when I first taught. They love learning and have a passion for it.”

Ann Fisher is a freelance journalist based in Saco. She can be reached at 432-7483.