In 2017 at the Community Outreach & Opportunity Project (COOP) annual community service breakfast, then-COOP Service Intern Maggie Horne ’19 described working with children with autism at BOCES and the rewards of finding creative ways to teach. “It has shown me that I really want to teach. I had the opportunity to work with so many students with so many different needs,” she said.
Now as a recent graduate, Horne will indeed explore teaching as a career at the Winchendon School, a grade 9 to post-graduate boarding school of about 250 students in Winchendon, Mass.
Tell us about your new position at the Winchendon School.
As a faculty member there, I teach five math sections, lead 2 ColLabs, advise afternoon activities/sports, act as a primary dorm parent, and aid in daily life on campus. ColLabs, or ColLABorative Courses, are elective workshops that culminate in an immersive collaborative workshop after each semester.
Throughout the semester, students work alongside their teacher to create the project that they complete after finals. Another major draw of Winchendon for me is that each Wednesday students participate in service learning experiences, and I, as a teacher, get to be a part of that.
Major: Mathematics
Hometown: Wayne, N.J.
High school: Immaculate Heart Academy
What sparked your interest in Winchendon?
At Hamilton, I was a part of the COOP and Outdoor Leadership, which cultivated my passion for experiential learning. I love that at Winchendon, I can combine classroom learning with these passions, and that my supervisors support teachers bringing their passions to Winchendon.
How long have you been interested in teaching as a career?
In high school, I coached for a Special Olympics swim team, and I pursued formal teaching roles beginning in college. As a freshman and sophomore … as part of the CSI program I was placed in the BOCES classroom in the New Hartford School District. I spent my first year in the high school and my second year in the program at Ralph Perry Jr. High School. This experience was the first thing that pushed me to think about teaching as a career.
Beginning in my sophomore year, I began to take education studies courses; these courses cemented my interest in education as a profession. Combined with my math major and newly declared education studies minor, I sought jobs in education in any way.
What experiences did you have teaching?
Going into my senior year, I was a teaching intern at Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Conn., for their Summer Programs. I worked in two different math classrooms – one for high schoolers, one for middle schoolers – coached high school swimming, was an adviser within a high school girls' dorm, and chaperoned weekend trips. Nearing the end of the summer, the program connected us with Carney, Sandoe & Associates (CS&A). I became a candidate with CS&A to search for teaching jobs in an independent school.
(At) Carney Sandoe’s Boston conference … I met Laurie Lambert, the head of school, and Kelly Harris, the dean of academics and student support. Following my interview with them, I interviewed on campus and then eventually was offered and accepted the position. I am excited to be joining a supportive and enthusiastic faculty.
What do you see yourself doing in the future?
Looking forward, I'd love to be teaching for years alongside opportunities that support my passion for service learning and outdoor leadership. While I am excited to see where my career takes me, based on the relationships I have made with staff here, I'd love to end up as director of a college program for service or outdoor leadership, or find a way to combine these. However, I am mostly excited to see how my life shapes in the short term and enjoy that present moment.
