If you’re drawn to teaching in any way, there’s a reason for that, Gretchen Livingston said. 

Livingston is one of the four finalists for the 2027 Maine Teacher of the Year. 

The four educators range from teaching prekindergarten to high school. Between them, they have around 50 years of teaching experience. Since then, the world of teaching has changed drastically in technology use and in the needs of students, they say. 

But, they wouldn’t trade it. They encourage new teachers, or those thinking about a teaching career, to pursue it and to talk to teachers in the profession who love it. 

“There’s a part of you that has something to give to others. You will give, and give, and give, and give some more. However, the intangible rewards that come back to you are tenfold and then some,” said Livingston, a Spanish teacher at Cony Middle and High School in Augusta.

When teaching feels difficult, or she needs to encourage her students or athletes, Livingston tries to flip the narrative of “I have to go do this” to “I get to do this.” For her, it helps her remember that teaching is a privilege, even if people in society do not recognize it as that.

Gina Welch wants to remind new teachers to show themselves grace in the first few years. 

Welch is a prekindergarten teacher at Crescent Park Elementary School in Bethel, part of Maine School Administrative District 44. She found her teaching groove a few years after she started teaching, once she joined the Bethel district. Welch credits the district and colleagues for her growth as a teacher.

“The first few years are really, really hard,” Welch said. “You probably won’t feel like you know what you are doing until a few years down the road. It’s a super hard job to find your comfort where you feel like, ‘I’ve got this, I know what I’m doing.’”

Abby McCoy, a Chemistry teacher at Lewiston High School tells teachers to be themselves. 

McCoy likes to incorporate her personality into teaching to show her students that learning can be fun, whether it be through goofy jokes or setting up the classroom like a game show to encourage material review. She wants learning — and her class — to be enjoyable for everyone.

“Just go for it. Be yourself,” she said. “There’s no right or wrong way to do it. The best way to teach is doing it whatever way makes you excited.”