Maine DOE team member Danielle (Dee) Saucier is being highlighted this week in the Get to Know the Maine DOE Team Campaign. Learn a little more about Dee in the question and answer below.
What are your roles with DOE?
After 25 years as a classroom teacher and literacy specialist and coach in the public school system I decided to give the Maine DOE a try. In 2017 I joined the department as the Elementary Literacy Specialist and Aroostook County Representative. I have the great honor of supporting educators across the state in areas related to Elementary Literacy. This includes a wide range of opportunities from the K for ME pilot curriculum, to the Grade 1 MOOSE module team and supports for the English Language Arts and Literacy Standards. I have also served as the Regional Representative for Aroostook County, an opportunity through which I’ve had the great honor of visiting schools in the County and meeting many of the educators that support students and communities in the northern most part of our state.
What do you like best about your job?
The best parts of my job are the opportunities that allow and encourage me to continue to learn new information each and every day and interact with educators to learn, grow and share. Education is an ever changing field and I am challenged to stay current with my knowledge by reading, researching and most importantly learning from the knowledge of the people I work with.
How or why did you decide on this career?
I always knew I was going to be a teacher – my mother was a teacher and we worked toward getting our graduate degrees in literacy together. I watched the impact that she had on students for more than 40 years in education and can only hope my impact is comparable. I am proud to say that my daughter has followed in my tradition and is currently starting her 2nd year as a teacher.
What do you like to do outside of work for fun?
I enjoy cooking and spending time with my husband and two adult daughters. The physical distancing of the past 6 months presented many struggles but one silver lining for me was the fact that my grown family was brought together in one home for a few unexpected bonus weeks with lots of family dinners and time to hang out.
