In this engaging session, we will share what inclusive education really means, the many reasons why inclusion is critical to the success of our students and communities here in Maine (e.g., research, law, advocacy, social justice, and belonging), and will take participants through research-based key practices for how schools can achieve greater inclusion and community for all students. Participants will leave with access to resources and practical strategies to implement greater inclusion and foster greater belonging in their schools.

There are many reasons to bring Wabanaki Studies to your work. We’ll spend some time exploring how Wabanaki studies teaches us to connect more deeply with our surroundings as well as the people around us. The land we now call Maine has always been home to Wabanaki. We’ll think about how weaving Wabanaki Studies into our existing curriculum can benefit all students, educators, and the land we all now call home.

Story Telling Strengthen Our Union will focus on telling individual stories to aid organizing conversations, build relationships and shared values on the job as well as organizing conversations, build relationships and shared values on the job as well as sharing our collective story about organizing to build hope and motivate workers to action.

Kay Grindall is a retired English and journalism teacher of 30 years at Waterville High School. She has experienced the heartbreaking loss of a child and can share classroom and student insight as a mother and educator–speaking from both sides of the desk. She will share effective classroom projects and suggested protocol when our students experience the death of a loved one.

All employees have basic rights in the workplace, and understanding your rights is critical to your employment. In this session, participants will learn about employment laws and issues they might encounter. From collective bargaining agreements to first amendment rights to dangerous behavior and prevention laws and more, you will learn how these critical laws and statues impact your work and what your rights are in each of these situations.

Increasing student engagement is a topic on everyone’s minds. Students need to thoughtfully engage with their teachers, their classmates, and the texts they are reading in all classes. In all classes, engagement frequently looks like class discussions, turn-and-talks, and group work around a text.  Let’s explore some different ways for students to engage with each other and with texts in the curriculum.  This workshop will use practices from the Building Thinking Classrooms model and examine how they can be applied to support literacy in all classrooms. We will develop and customize these strategies to best guide our practice, and experience a few of these ideas for ourselves.

Artificial intelligence is a powerful tool that can transform how we teach and how students learn. In this session, we’ll explore practical ways educators can leverage AI to reclaim valuable time, streamline planning, personalize instruction, and support diverse learners. But the impact doesn’t stop there: we’ll also dive into strategies for teaching students how to use AI responsibly, ethically, and creatively to enhance their own learning and build essential future-ready skills.

Though “communication” and “collaboration” are prominently featured in educator evaluation rubrics, we rarely practice the skills at the heart of those valued ideals. Through a series of interactive and familiar exercises, the session will provide participants with a framework and vocabulary through which they might approach their complicated workplace conversations.

Your contract is more than just words on paper—it’s the key to understanding your rights, pay, and benefits. In this interactive session, we’ll dive into how collective bargaining, or negotiating a contract shapes your compensation and working conditions. After a brief overview of key contract elements, you’ll embark on a fun scavenger hunt within your own contract to discover essential clauses and rights. By the end, you’ll not only know how to spot a strong contract but also feel confident about what to do if an issue arises. We’ll bring you a copy of your contract so you’ll be ready to explore!

Behaviors occur, and while we can’t control every root cause, we can make adjustments and use interventions to support student regulation. In this training, participants will identify a challenging behavior they are facing, determine what is within their control, and use a fishbone protocol to pinpoint the root cause. This process helps in identifying ethical interventions to achieve behavioral goals.

This training is designed for all school staff. It will provide a foundational understanding for those who are new to working with LGBTQ+ youth, as well as updated and in-depth information for those who are looking for a refresher. During this training participants will review: terminology and pronoun usage; risk and protective factors, supporting transgender and gender-expansive youth, student rights, intervening in harmful behavior, and creating an inclusive classroom.

Teachers often encounter disruptive behaviors, which can escalate into more severe behavior if classroom management strategies are not employed. This session will discuss the ongoing behavior crisis in schools, and participants will leave with practical, evidence-based classroom management strategies they can implement immediately.

Roll for Initiative! Dungeons & Dragons as a Method to Teach Union Values: In this session, we will discuss and demonstrate through play the parallels between table top role playing games and our work as union advocates, how play and joy can build solidarity, and ways to build the heroic imagination within our colleagues and members. No D&D experience needed!

In this hands-on training, Teaching with Purpose: Developmentally Informed Practices for Education Technicians, participants will explore effective, evidence-based strategies that align with the developmental needs of students across various age groups. Designed specifically for education technicians, this session offers an overview of how to implement developmentally appropriate teaching practices that support student learning, engagement, and social-emotional growth

This workshop invites participants to explore the many features of the Maine Climate Education Hub — a free interdisciplinary website housing over 3,000 resources aligned with the Maine Learning Results. The Hub offers lesson plans, place-based materials, units, videos, student news (differentiated for grades 5–12), data sets, interactive activities, games, professional development opportunities, curriculum planning guides, and more. Small groups will move through stations to explore strategies for teaching this topic, then participants will have time to discover resources that align with their discipline and grade level. These materials are designed to empower all educators to teach about climate change, justice, and action with confidence and ease. Together, we can help every child learn to become a steward of our planet. *Participants are encouraged to bring a digital device!*

End your day with yoga with Imke Schessler, certified instructor and owner of Flowing Meditations Yoga.