Erin Fortin has spent the last three years as a preschool teacher at United Christian Academy (UCA) in Newport. Fortin was nominated by the community to represent UCA in this year's Newport Daily Express Teacher of the Year competition.
She's brilliant and intuitive, Holly Ford, one of Fortin's colleagues, said of her colleague.
Fortin, a Massachusetts native and Boston sports fan, spent most of his life in Vermont, moving to North Wolcott at age nine. Teaching wasn’t her first career choice, but she ultimately found the perfect fit at UCA.
She is truly doing the right thing and using her gifts to enrich children's lives,” said Kimberlee Strepka, head of school at UCA. Fortin is a fantastic teacher with many qualities, continued Strepka.
Becoming an educator was a small process, Fortin says, talking about how she first went to college to study social work, attended Lancaster Bible College in Pennsylvania, and then Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida. Her final year internship involved working with pregnant and parenting teenagers at an alternative school. After graduating and returning to Vermont, she worked in local schools as a professional assistant, teaching students life skills and healthy habits, such as how to manage stress in their lives. Through this, she began to connect with children at Barton, Glover and Orleans Upper Schools.
After taking a break to get married and raise a family, Fortin returned to education by being a substitute teacher and paraeducator. For the past three years, she has taught kindergarten at UCA, demonstrating a deep love for her students, taking her role as a teacher very seriously, and serving as an advocate for her students' education. Strepka told Express.
His class strikes the perfect balance between order and fun, and his teaching style incorporates a good balance of office work and hands-on projects. She incorporates community helpers, local firefighters, bakers and others into her classes, introducing her students to the people who make up their community.
She makes learning fun with creative projects, like using playdough and shaving cream to form letters and words. Her classroom shines with color and she loves playing guitar and has opened her home to her friends, colleagues and older students for game nights. Kellie Stillianesses (Mrs. S), a fellow teacher of Fortin's, told the Express that Fortin has high expectations of her students.
I've only known her for a little over a year, but I feel like I've known her forever,” Kelly Anderson said. “Fortin is very generous and humble,” she continued.
Merideth Gaines, a music professor at UCA, said Fortin is the most generous and helpful person she knows. She represents at all levels what an educator should be.
Strepka elaborated further, saying she is very organized and makes her students' parents feel well-informed because of her consistent and thorough communication.
According to Strepka, Ms. Fortin leads a life of love. His students love and admire him. She truly does the right thing and uses her gifts to enrich the lives of children.