A Day With Maine Teacher of the Year Finalist Becky Hallowell and Her Wiscasset Elementary School Community

On the banks of the Sheepscot River sits the OWLS (Outdoor Wonderful Learning Space) community.

This outdoor learning space at Wiscasset Elementary School was the brainchild of 4^th grade teacher Becky Hallowell, and each year she and her students transform this space into a vibrant community to build, learn from, and explore through the seasons.

Ms. Hallowell and her students began by developing a map of their space with different boundaries and landmarks, such as the river and their school. On a recent visit, she and her students were deciding what was important for their community to have. They started with a list of everything from a freshwater source to a museum and then worked in teams to identify the top five things their community needed. Students shared what they came up with and they developed a collective class list that included a food source, a water source, and a market. Everyone loved a library and a museum, but thought those things could be built after their community was up and running.

OWLS doesn't feature expensive materials or infrastructure. The outdoor classroom is fashioned from orange buckets for seats, a folding table, and a whiteboard, demonstrating that this type of hands-on learning is doable and accessible for all.

It's not the only way that Ms. Hallowell incorporates the community and nature into her teaching. She takes students on weekly visits to a nearby sunken garden to journal and monthly visits to the Hidden Valley Nature Center.

"Ms. Hallowell is a really fun person," said one of her students. "She doesn't like sitting inside at all, so we go to OWLS to learn about things we want to know about in nature."

Parents said that Ms. Hallowell has a remarkable ability to connect with students and has a gift to naturally meet children where they're at.

"She's one in a million," said one parent.

Another parent said, "She knows everything about every one of [her students] and makes each one feel special."

When a parent asked her son what she should share about Ms. Hallowell, the student said, "She always follows through with what she promises."

Ms. Hallowell's teaching colleagues shared similar sentiments, calling her an anchor and the epitome of a teacher leader.

"She doesn't solve the problems for you, but gives you the tools to do it," said one teaching colleague. Another teacher recalled how Ms. Hallowell supported her as a first-year teacher in developing behavioral and classroom management strategies that she felt overwhelmed by. They also described her as their one dependable constant through several years of changing district and school leadership.

"Becky gives 100 percent to her colleagues," said one teacher.

They also highlighted how her enthusiasm and passion are infectious.

"Her enthusiasm for outdoor learning prompted me to start doing outside lessons," said one colleague, adding that she would have never had the confidence to incorporate the outdoors into her teaching if it were not for Ms. Hallowell modeling how it could be done.

She constantly seeks new and interesting learning opportunities for the school community. Wiscasset Elementary began a composting program, and Ms. Hallowell figured out a way to turn the program into an engaging math lesson. And everyone brought up her passion for mushrooms that she shares with students and the school.

Ms. Hallowell is one of four finalists for Maine Teacher of the Year and was named the 2024 Lincoln County Teacher of the Year last May. She was nominated by a teaching colleague who wrote, "Becky is that rare gem who cares about the teaching craft and continues to grow her practice; contributes to her profession through presenting and mentoring; and adds to her school by being a leader with solutions and ideas to carry us all forward."

Later in the day in Ms. Hallowell's classroom, she was reading aloud to her students while students drew different scenes and objects from the book, including a green car described as a pickle with wheels. To add movement, students did a gallery walk to view what their peers drew and gain inspiration for their own work. Together, she and the class identified the main character of the book and the supporting characters. Then, students worked in teams to write down evidence to support which supporting characters were the most important in the book. Ms. Hallowell's class was as engaging and dynamic inside their classroom as it was down by the riverbank.

When asked to describe Ms. Hallowell, some words teaching colleagues and parents said were vibrant, compassionate, engaged, loving, self-aware, fun, mentor, comforting, and inspiring.

"She'll do anything for us," said one student. "If we need something, she is going to make it happen."

This year's Maine Teacher of the Year selection process began with more than 500 nominations. Sixteen County Teachers of the Year were announced in May and there are currently four finalists. Learn more about the Maine Teacher of the Year program here.

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