classroom for the entire day. Curriculum focuses on independent living skills, such as cooking, preparing to enter the workforce, and developing healthy relationships.
“ We meet the students where they are and teach them how to perform basic skills on their own. We create a positive learning environment; a safe place where they are cared for,” said Smythe about the program.
Smythe recognizes that a key component to the success of her teaching and the FLS program is collaboration across Thornton Academy and the greater Saco community. She works to get students involved in the community as much as possible. They go grocery shopping once a week, visit local businesses, and participate in job shadows and vocational training.
“ We have a lot of fun! There are days when I want to stay home, but you show up, and amazing things happen all across campus!”
This fall, some of the FLS students competed in the Special Olympics Bowling Tournament. Smythe invited teachers, staff, and students from across the TA community to send them off. FLS students and staff shared that this simple gesture of compassion and support helped them feel like a valued part of our school community.
One recent highlight for Smythe and her students has been the introduction and rapid growth of the Unified Basketball program. Unified sports joins students with and without developmental disabilities on the same team, developing friendships along the way. There has been so much interest in the Unified Basketball program that students created a Unified Club that lasts the entire school year. Smythe is also pursuing a Unified Bocce team with the help of Athletic Director, Gary Stevens.
As with the rest of the school, Smythe and the FLS program are now practicing distance learning. Smythe overcame initial nerves for this change by embracing creativity and fun! She and her staff record a daily“ morning meeting” that they post on YouTube and share with the students each day. The morning meetings feature an independent living question of the day, book readings by FLS staff, cooking lessons, math lessons, and a dance party!
“ Distance learning forces us to get creative. We have to answer the question,‘ How are we going to do this?’ It has sparked that love of teaching again!” Smythe said. At Thornton Academy, Smythe is not only involved in the FLS program, but also serves as an advisor for the class of 2021. She also participates in every spirit day and has won Most Spirited Teacher at several recent school pep rallies.
Smythe never planned on becoming a teacher and took an unconventional path to arrive where she is now. She grew up in Florida and previously worked as a legal aid and waitress before earning her BS degree in psychology. When she moved to Maine, she continued work as a waitress. One day, a group of students and their teacher came to her restaurant to celebrate their eighth grade graduation. She served them, and a few days later, the teacher returned with thank you cards for her. This experience sparked a love for working with the special education population, and she became a certified education technician and started her career at Thornton Academy.
But the story doesn’ t end there. When Smythe entered her classroom that first day in September, she found the same students that had visited her restaurant and sparked her love of education.
Thornton Academy and its students are incredibly lucky to have a teacher that is as dedicated, enthusiastic, and caring as Kristin Smythe. Even though she works with a unique population of students, she embodies characteristics and has a philosophy of education that reaches all learners.
Students competing in the Special Olympics Bowling Tournament received an exciting and meaningful send-off! Teachers, students, and staff cheered, and the band played as the team made their way to the tournament bus.
13