Andrew Hunter

Growing up in Maine I spent a lot of time outdoors. My mom would kick us out of the house and not let us return until she blew a whistle. From these experiences, I learned to feel at home in the woods. Not to be outdone, my dad would drag us up trails in the White Mountains and take my siblings and me on long camping road trips in his Honda Civic. It was one such trip to Gettysburg that truly sparked my interest in American History. I’m so pleased to live and work at Chewonki because here I can combine these passions. It is hard to convey how special a position it is that allows me to connect with students over local history, trail maintenance, pick-up basketball games, and farm salads at dinner, but suffice it to say, this is my dream job.

Before coming home to Maine to work for Maine Coast Semester, I spent three years teaching history and social studies at Nashoba Regional High School in Massachusetts. I completed my student teaching at Somerville High School while in graduate school at Tufts University. However, I like to think my career as an educator began as an undergraduate; for my work-study job each year, I served in Jumpstart, an AmeriCorps program for early literacy support in local preschools. This work inspired me to seek further teaching opportunities, which led me to Breakthrough Greater Boston, delivering academic courses in a summer enrichment program for middle school students. These formative experiences taught me about the transformative potential of education and the joy of working with young people of all ages. Preschoolers especially helped me understand that if I’m having fun, I’m doing the job right. 

I believe that teaching is a team sport. I love collaborating with colleagues and hearing stories about the cool stuff occurring in other classrooms to get new ideas. But some of the most powerful moments come from empowering voices so students can learn from their peers. This requires cultivating a welcoming environment across the community, which I strive to contribute towards. In addition, I believe teachers need to be consistently curious about their students and content, and willing to reinvent programs and curriculum to support them. 

I live on campus with my wife, Annie, and our cat, Charlie. Catch me in a national park in the summer, or in front of the wood stove in the winter with a book.