ROCKPORT — Faith Vautour is retiring from Camden Hills Regional High School after 50 years of teaching. She sat down with me at the Bagel Café in Camden to discuss her time at Camden Hills and her plans for what’s next. While we were there, she saw three former students, one from last year, one from a few years ago, and one a student from the 1970s. After a brief check-in with one of the former students — “How’d you do this year? Have you picked a major?” — the student discovered that Vautour was being interviewed and exclaimed, “She’s awesome!” Here’s why:

How long have you been teaching at Camden?
I’ve been teaching for 50 years. I started at Camden High School in 1964. In 1965, it became Camden-Rockport High School. And then in 2000 it became Camden Hills Regional High School.

What do you teach?
I teach U.S. history. I’ve been doing more Advanced Placement United States History in recent years. For about 8-10 years, I’ve been teaching half time, every other day. My department was cut back a half-teacher so I volunteered to take the half-time position. That was good because I like to get my papers back to students the next class day. We do a lot of essays in the classes I teach, so the immediate feedback allows students to make corrections and improve their grade. I’m a morning person and working every other day meant I didn’t have to correct papers late at night; I could do correcting in the morning.

What made you want to be a teacher?

I think I always knew. My mother was a teacher and she hated every minute of it. I went to UMO to study arts and sciences, not education, but I took all the education classes and I liked it. It just seemed natural to me to be in front of a classroom. It’s where I was meant to be. My last time in the front of the classroom will be Period 3 on June 17. I intend to take a picture of my last teaching experience with this class.

What kept you in the classroom?
I always liked it. I am going to miss correcting essays. I like to see how the kids are improving, see their skills improved including their thesis statements, topic sentences, and conclusions. But then I won’t miss getting up early in the morning and correcting them. I also like teaching history because each year there are different current events that we can relate and connect to history. Kids always are asking different questions so it never gets boring.

What are some of your fondest memories from your time at Camden?
Throughout my entire 50 years, I’ve had fun and enjoyed it all. It was always fun following the basketball teams, wrestling teams and soccer teams, especially when they were winning state championships. I like going to the sporting events and will continue to go to them after retiring, particularly basketball. Another of my fondest memories are the fall musicals that Kim Murphy directs; she gets so much out of these kids.

What are some of your proudest accomplishments?
I am very proud to have been selected as a Fulbright Scholar in 1988 to spend the summer in China, and in 1993 to spend the summer in India. The Fulbright Program selects teachers from around the country to receive a full paid educational experience with first class hotels and first class travel. I received similar awards to go to Korea in 1991, Germany in 1989 and 2006, Japan in about 1992, and Vietnam, Laos and Thailand in 1997. I have also chaperoned two foreign trips to Europe with Camden Hills students through ACIS during April vacations. These educational experiences add excitement to my classroom teaching.

What else have you done while at Camden?
I coached Girls Basketball from 1964-1979. We had a winning record. At one point we won 49 in a row. I was yearbook advisor for 12 years. And I’m currently the co-advisor for the National Honor Society. I certainly will continue to help them out during the school year.

For about six years I was a consultant for Advanced Placement U.S. History for the Maine State Department of Education. I put on workshops for U.S. History Teachers on how to teach the subject and different materials to use. The education department sent us to the national conference to learn about changes in the test and the AP program. The AP exam is given every May. My students do extremely well. The overall record for CHRHS students for all AP exams is a 3.8-4 on a 1-5 grading scale, which is much higher than the state average.

What do you plan to do now that you’re retiring?
I will play a lot of golf and tend my gardens, neither of which I can do in winter. I’m sure meetings of the school board will keep me busy if I' elected. I’m on the board of the Camden Food Pantry and volunteer there each week. I’m very active in the Our Lady of Good Hope church. I read several books a week in the winter – mysteries. I may take up scrapbooking. I want to chronicle all of my foreign experiences. I have these thick photo books and a diary from every single trip I’ve been on. I plan to visit my sister in Florida and possibly get property there. I won’t move there; I like Maine winters too much. I like the snowstorms. I’m sure I’m going to find plenty to do.

You are running for the school board?
I’m running unopposed for the school board. It’s a three-year term. I’m considering myself a one-term person.

Do many retired teachers join the school board?
Mr. Hibbard was the first retired teacher to join the board in my 50 years’ experience.

Why are you running for school board?
I'm running to make sure that the interests of the kids at CHRHS are not hurt by the implementation of the proficiency based diploma and how it affects the grading system. The 1-4 standards based grading system to me is detrimental to students’ motivation and aspirations. Other teachers share this view of proficiency-based grading. During a teacher workshop day, we sent teams of teachers to see how other school districts that are similar to ours were interpreting the laws. We want to keep our traditional grading system, but we want to look for another way to indicate that they’ve met proficiency in the areas that we require it.

Overall, how do you feel Camden Hills is doing?
I think we’re an excellent school system. I think there are areas that we can improve, such as making sure less motivated kids are given as many opportunities to succeed as the highly motivated kids. I think that’s an area that we can work on. I’d like to see all students in some extra-curricular activity. We probably have 40-50 percent who are, but it would be nice to see more that are. We have more sports opportunities than other Class B schools. The international program that Dr. Ithomitis has implemented which continues to expand and reach more kids is a great opportunity. And Camden Hills has a veteran and well-educated staff complimented by new young vibrant teachers.

What do you hope to see for CHRHS?
I want it to continue promoting high standards, and to maintain the respectability that we have statewide.

Do you have any advice to parents?
Stay involved. The grading system on PowerSchool gives them the ability to keep track of what’s going on.

Advice for new teachers starting out?
Keep learning. Always do everything for the kids. We’re in this business for kids, not for ourselves. Be fair, but firm, in behavior, as well as grading. I find myself, as I became more experienced, paying more attention to how students react to a grade. If students got a question wrong, but think they were right, I let them explain themselves instead of just saying that’s the way it is. And be open to new ideas.

You’re giving the Commencement Speech at Graduation this year?
Yes, I was asked to, but I was reluctant to do it because I didn’t want the focus of the evening to be on me rather than the kids. The senior class officers had a meeting with me and asked me to do it. I told them I don’t want to take the spotlight off them and put it on me, but they said that wouldn’t be a problem. So I said yes.

Have you thought much about what you will say in the speech?
I’ve written it. The title is “To Thine Own Self Be True.” It’s something that my high school English teacher had us memorize when we were studying Shakespeare. The speech will give students advice on how to be true to their selves. I was going to bring it to show you, but decided not to.

Anything else you’d like to share?
It’s been a wonderful 50 years. I wouldn’t change anything.

Camden Hills Regional High School graduation will take place Friday, June 6, at 7:59 p.m. in the gym.

Jessica Fossett can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com