In the public eye: WMS science teacher finds true calling as an educator

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

By Ed Pierce

Pamela Mallard believes we’re all here to contribute something unique and that deep within all of us lies a special gift. It’s a philosophy that holds significance for Mallard as she found her true calling in working with students and now serves as a seventh- and eighth-grade science and math teacher at Windham Middle School.

Pamela Mallard has taught seventh- and
eighth-grade science and math at Windham
Middle School for the past 20 years and also
runs a 'Buddy Program' connecting WMS
students with second graders at Windham
Primary School. SUBMITTED PHOTO  

For the past 20 years, she has taught at WMS and in all has been a teacher for 25 years, but it wasn’t her first career.

“This is my third career. I was a bank manager, and then ran a preschool/daycare center,” Mallard said. “I know that I have found what I am meant to do. I believe statistics state that most people have three careers, and I am definitely a statistic.”

In her role as a teacher, she creates lessons to engage WMS students in science and strives to help all students, no matter what ability, to be successful. That includes implementing the standards and curriculum of RSU 14, assuring every student receives an education that is valuable to their future, to make community connections in her class which allows students to learn about opportunities outside the classroom, and to develop relationships with students that make them feel cared for and that school is a safe and welcoming place for them to be.

“I have a program with Saint Joseph’s College- under the supervision of Emily Lesher in which her students come and teach my students an exploration in science, Mallard said. “We then go to their college and experience the college science experience. I also prompt learning with community members, such as Adam Chasse, who has assisted the students in learning about energy and the balance of the environment. Experiences like this make it real for students.”

She also shares professional knowledge with colleagues and future teachers and has taken on student teachers, sharing her expertise and having them share their innovative ideas.

For Mallard, the best thing about what she does is being with middle school students and witnessing their excitement about learning.

“Witnessing the growth of kids is one of the most rewarding experiences,” she said. “I stay in contact with students and love hearing about their lives and where their paths have taken them.”

Teaching is not without its challenges as Mallard explained.

“When they say teachers teach with their heart, no statement is truer,” she said. “I want to make every student to not have any personal struggles that make them feel less of a person. I have lost students and watched students lose loved ones. Sometimes to know you can’t make it better for them is tough. I realized all I can do is be there for them and their families and know how much I care for them. Secondly, it’s challenging how to manage the time required to devise great learning experiences and blend it with my personal life. When they say a teacher never stops, even when leaving the classroom and it is so true.”

Originally from Belchertown, Massachusetts, she went to college at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire and thought she wanted to be an accountant.

“I share this story with my students demonstrating how what we think we want at 18 can definitely turn out to be something so different,” Mallard said. “I married and moved to Maine completing my degree at the University of Southern Maine in communications and minoring in Education. I went to the University of New England and attended their teacher certification program. After starting to teach, I earned my master’s degree in education at the University of Maine Orono, and I continue to study through seminars and courses, and am a firm believer in lifelong learning.”

After teaching in another district, an opening occurred in Windham and a friend suggested that she apply.

“I was offered the position and have never regretted it for a moment, Mallard said. “I feel my colleagues are my family and I am truly cared for as a person. Windham is so kid-centered, and it falls in line with what I believe. The families in Windham make you feel appreciated and valued. The community of Windham is one of the best.”

Among Mallard’s most memorable moments at WMS is running a Buddy Program pairing up middle school students with second graders at Windham Primary School to mentor them in science.

“The connections my middle school students make with their little buddies is so rewarding,” she said. “The ownership that develops in my students for their child is amazing.” <