PORTLAND, Maine — On the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 10, East End Community School in Portland buzzed with excitement, as elementary schoolers filled their gymnasium for a special announcement. It was an occasion most children will never get to experience: watching their teacher be named Maine Teacher of the Year.
This program selects one teacher from the state to act as an ambassador for the teaching profession, advocating for fellow educators and students. After months of interviews, panelists chose Joshua Chard, the 2023 Cumberland County Teacher of the Year, to serve as 2024 Maine Teacher of the Year.
“To be recognized and seen in this kind of way after such a long career is really exciting and really humbling at the same time," Chard said.
Chard has been teaching for 31 years. In addition to his classroom duties at East End Community School, he also serves as the drama director at Deering High School. He said he's hoping to use this platform to boost up his colleagues around the state.
"Sort of my tagline this year is going to be, ‘Everything that is ordinary in Maine’s classrooms is actually extraordinary,'" Chard said.
Chard wasn't necessarily always destined for this role. He says when he was younger, he struggled in school and was known by teachers as a trouble-maker. That is, until he met his fifth-grade teacher, who he says changed his life and made him want to pursue the profession, too.
"[She] taught me...I was smart; I was talented; and that I deserved to be loved just for being me," Chard said.
East End Community School is one of the most diverse elementary schools north of Boston. According to principal Boyd Marley, close to 55% of families and students are multilingual, and there's also a large deaf and hard-of-hearing population that communicates through American Sign Language. Marley said Chard has mastered the art of teaching.
"He comes across as very fun, but at the same time, he’s structured and intentional," Marley said.
Even those who don't know Marley as well yet, like Maine Department of Education Commissioner Pender Makin, say his impact is obvious.
"He’s over-the-top excited about the work he does. He believes in his students. He believes in education as a foundational institution for our democracy," Makin said.
For more information about the award, click here.