In the public eye: Raymond teacher Bloom influences students across different platforms

Teacher Jed Bloom wears many hats in his
position at Jordan-Small Middle School in
Raymond, including STEM instructor,
Project Based Learning Coordinator and
assistant basketball coach.
COURTESY PHOTO    

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

By Andrew Wing

There are many critical steps that are taken by children while they’re in middle school. Mainly though, middle school is the time in a child’s life that’s so important in developing an appreciation for learning and to value education in general. For the past three years at Jordan-Small Middle School in Raymond, Jed Bloom has helped show children just how important education is in today’s world.

Jed Bloom of Saco wears many hats at JSMS. He’s mainly a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) teacher, as he spends a lot of time in the shop and STEM space helping students create and use hand tools, power tools, 3-D printers, and other tools/technology. More than that though, Bloom is also a Project Based Learning Coordinator where he designs and implements projects to allow students to learn diverse concepts, skills and standards and as an Assistant Basketball Coach where he gives his players confidence and keeps them active.

He also serves as the school’s Civil Rights Team Advisor. He works with students who choose to be a part of the after-school club to make the school a safer and more welcoming place where all students can feel respected.

Despite his many different job titles, after being there for three years Bloom knows that all of his roles are still going for the same big idea.

“Basically all my roles have the same big idea, which is to build relationships with middle schoolers so that we can effectively do good work together,” said Bloom. “Whether that work is creating iMovies, launching homemade rockets, running a give and go, or making a presentation about equal rights for all students.”

Bloom grew up in a small town in Central New York, just south of Syracuse, and went to undergrad at Plattsburgh State where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education. After graduating, he got his first teaching position in Sanford where he taught fifth grade and was also the school’s Service Learning Coordinator. While in Sanford, Bloom also got his master’s degree in education at Antioch New England, which he credits for giving him the knowledge to do what he does now at JSMS with the STEM program.

“That was a great program that showed me a lot,” said Bloom. “It showed me how to make school the hands-on, dynamic, integrated place we’re creating at Jordan-Small.”

Following his work in Sanford, Bloom went on to be a seventh- and eighth-grade teacher at Breakwater School in Portland, before he eventually applied to RSU 14 because he saw something special there.

“I applied to RSU 14 because I liked the vision,” said Bloom. “I liked the vision I saw around Project Based Learning, as well as the growing commitment to Equal Rights.”

A big selling point for Bloom was definitely the Project Based Learning because it is more of a unique job that just didn’t exist a couple years ago. He thinks the general public doesn’t know enough about the Project Based Learning work they are doing at JSMS.

“I think people remember their middle school years as taking notes, listening to lectures, and reading books, but here we use the shop and STEM tools to integrate with all the other subjects to ensure kids are creating and learning while doing,” said Bloom. “I think education has come a long way since I was a kid, because kids nowadays for example are launching rockets to learn physical science and learning geometry by building in the wood shop.”

Bloom comes to work every day with a smile on his face hoping to have a great day with his students, and when asked what the best thing about his job was, Bloom gave two responses.

“Working with master educators who want to give students the best school experience possible is a treat,” said Bloom. “And helping students increase their knowledge, skills and confidence, and just getting to watch them grow over their four years at JSMS is really special.”

And as much as Bloom loves his job, he loves even more that his family is proud of his work.

“My son loves that I get to work with so many tools at my job as he loves to build and create himself,” said Bloom. “My daughter too is in sixth grade, just like many of my students, so she often rolls her eyes at me for the same things my students roll their eyes at me for. And lastly, my wife is happy that my work makes me feel fulfilled.” <