In the public eye: Teacher Lynne Latham continues to have profound impact upon students in Raymond

Lynne Latham is a fifth-grade classroom teacher
who has taught math and science at Jordan-Small
Middle School in Raymond for the past 23 years.
SUBMITTED PHOTO

Editor’s note: This is another in an ongoing series of Windham and Raymond town employee profiles.

By Andrew Wing

Being a middle school teacher in today’s world is an extremely important job. In addition to being skilled educators, middle school teachers guide students through some of the most formative years of their lives and prepare them for the knowledge and skills they’ll need in high school and beyond. They also develop a student’s unique talents and foster their passion for learning. Lynne Latham of Jordan-Small Middle School is one of those teachers.

Latham is a fifth-grade classroom teacher at JSMS where she teaches math and science. Latham is completing her 23rd year in RSU 14 at JSMS, and for over the past two decades, she has done it all. She’s educated her students in math and science, maintained her certification through professional development opportunities, connected with parents and community members, collaborated with staff members in the school and district and responded to her administration’s directives. She’s had a profound impact on not only the school and the district but the community as a whole.

She was born and raised in South Portland, and after completing high school in 1983, she found her way to the University of Maine at Machias. There, she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education, before earning a master’s degree in education from St. Joseph’s College in 2010.

Her first teaching position was at Leeds Central School for five years, before teaching at Gray-New Gloucester Middle School for five years. Latham then laid her roots down in Raymond and took on the position that she currently holds and after her 33 years of teaching, she knows that when the time comes, she will retire from JSMS.

“Anyone who has had the pleasure of being a part of this teaching/learning community knows exactly why I am here,” said Latham. “It is an amazing place to live and work.”

To do anything for as long as Latham has taught, you truly have to love what you do, and she’s no exception.

“I absolutely love my students. Each student is so unique, and I love their developing personalities,” said Latham. “There’s no better moment in teaching than when a student comes to class and wants to excel in their thinking and explore deeper and broader understanding. This is my true paycheck.”

On the other hand, Latham’s job isn’t always easy. There are many challenging aspects when it comes to being a middle school teacher. For Latham, stress management and finding the time to accomplish everything she wants are at the top of her list.

“There is an amazing amount of stress in our profession, and it’s difficult to find the balance between teaching and life outside of school,” said Latham. “Time is such a challenge in today’s world of teaching and learning. Everything of quality takes time and education is a world of wanting to do well.”

Similar to there being a lot of challenges in being a middle school teacher, there are also a lot of misconceptions people have about their work. Latham said that people today believe that teaching and learning are the same today as to how they were in the previous generation.

“I would say that people today believe that teaching and learning are the same as how they were when we were taught in school,” she said. “Learning and life are fast and ever-changing, and we have taken different approaches in teaching for the needs of today’s learners and the world that they will someday make their own.”

There’s no denying that Latham has countless memories in her past 23 years teaching at JSMS but narrowed those down to just a few.

“I could respond with the obvious which would be remote teaching due to the pandemic, but I would have to say it was embracing my son, Noah Estey, at RSU 14 opening day as he became a newly-hired staff member as a history teacher at Windham High School,” said Latham. “I have made hundreds of great memories with our amazing staff at JSMS, and our school has delivered the best education possible to thousands of students over the years.” <