This article was Written by a Junior Leah Emmons who is a student in the Journalism class.
Public speaking was never Mary Bove’s favorite. It terrified her. One day, her high school AP English class was asked to perform a speech on Romeo and Juliet. Mary was asked to stand on a table in front of her class. She stepped up to give the speech.
“ I remember the table shaking as I was trying to give this speech,” she said. The speech was out of Mary’s comfort zone, but she made it through.
Until this year Mary Bove has worked as a middle school ELA teacher at U-32. This year, she started working as a Literacy Lab teacher for 9th and 10th graders. “It is presenting me with different challenges and different ways to stretch myself as a teacher,” she explained.
Mary grew up just outside Concord NH before moving to Vermont in 8th grade. She was an energetic person, loud and outgoing. At CVU High School, Mary worked for her school’s Athletic Communications, where she ran stats to teams during games. She said it was her best job–“besides teaching, of course,” she said laughing.
After high school , Mary went to UVM, graduating with a secondary education degree, with a concentration in English. She graduated with a second degree in Political Science
Mary’s first teaching job was as a paraeducator in Colchester. She then moved to a school in Georgia, VT where she worked as a long term substitute for a year. She also got hired as a full time teacher at Georgia Elementary.
Mary encourages kids to face their fears of public speaking, because she struggles with it. During her teaching in Georgia, VT Mary worked with a student on presenting a project. She set up a plan for the girl to record it, instead of standing in front of the class. But at the last second the student changed her mind and performed to the class.
Mary’s New Read
“That taught me a lot about giving students who need some support,” she said, “The space to grow, and to arrive at what is the best next step for them.”
