“First Person” shares the stories of people who make a life here, in their words. Conversations are edited for clarity and length.
As the 2025-26 school year began, Harpswell Community School welcomed its youngest-ever group of students into a new prekindergarten program. The lead teacher is Maggie York, 32, who grew up in Cundy’s Harbor and was named 2024 Catholic School Teacher of the Year for her work at St. John’s in Brunswick. Shortly after the school year began, she talked about what it’s like to teach in her hometown.
My mom’s family is all from Cundy’s Harbor. When I was about 4 years old, when my brother was about to be born, my parents bought a house on Harpswell by the Sea, and I lived there my whole life. Then, after I got married, my husband and I bought the house from my mom. So we live in the house I grew up in, and my kids will grow up in that same house.
My grandparents owned Hawkes’ Lobster, and we would spend summers coming down here and jumping off the wharf. Sometimes I walk my kids to the bus stop and think, oh my gosh, I remember walking to this bus stop. I remember riding my bike around this neighborhood.
When I graduated from high school, I really wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. My family had been telling me for a long time, “You should be a teacher.” At first I thought, I don’t know. But my first semester in college, I took an early childhood education class. And I was like, oh my gosh, they were right. This is exactly what I want.
I graduated in 2015 and my first job was teaching third grade at St. John’s, where I went to elementary school. Then, when I was returning from maternity leave after my oldest son was born, my boss called and asked if I would be willing to teach pre-K. She said, “I think you’ll be a good bridge for parents coming in, starting this journey with your children. All the planning and activities you love to do, you could do this all day long.”
I loved St. John’s, but when this job opened for the new pre-K program at Harpswell Community School, I thought, it’s meant to be.
I don’t like to call them babies at this age because they’re not. They’ve only been on this planet for four or five years, but they’re capable of so much. I love the light bulb moments. We found a spider on the playground the other day, and the enthusiasm! “Mrs. York, come here, look at this!” I said, “Let’s look at this spider. Why is this spider here?”
We do “center time” every day. My two paraprofessionals and I have different centers set up in the classroom: a library center with the most adorable couch and chair; an art center with markers, crayons and stampers; an easel center for them to stand and do painting or writing; a pretend center; a block center; a math center with different math manipulatives; and a sensory center that we will fill up with pompoms, water funnels and these spiral sensory toys. We will have a writing center where they can write mail to teachers. Students love to deliver mail to other teachers in the building. It’s a big hit.
The biggest thing that we learn in pre-K is what it means to be a student. We practice the routine of coming into the building in the morning — unpack their backpack and put their folders away, hang their things up and sit down to have breakfast. I have young children; I know how hard it is to do dinner and lunch with children, but it’s good practice for them. I’m very big on teaching independence. If you took something out and used it, it is your job to pick it up and put it away correctly.
I’ve had kids say to me, “I can’t do this.” My go-to phrase is, “If you start saying those words out loud, your brain is going to hear that and tell you you’re right, you can’t.” I tell them, “We don’t ever say we can’t do something.” The other day, I had a student say, “Mrs. York, I can’t unpack my backpack.” I said, “You can do it. Let me hear you say, ‘I can do hard things.'” And she said it and she did it. I didn’t touch her backpack. Sometimes you just need a teacher there and magic happens — sometimes, it just takes a little patience and practice.
Learning how to be a student and how to be a friend, being safe, kind, responsible, those are the most important things we learn in pre-K. The growth that you see from the beginning of the year to the end is just amazing. I’m always sad to see them go. From the minute they walk in the door, they grab ahold of your heart. And I love the families; they love their children so much.
My husband Bryan and I have three children: Beckett is 6; Graham is 4; our youngest, Josephine — we call her Josie — just turned 1. Beckett was in pre-K with me, and Graham is now. It’s not always fun for them because Mom has expectations at home and definitely has them at school. No special treatment. But as I told my husband, when am I ever going to have a whole year to spend the whole day with them? I get to see them make their first friends.
And my mom, Jen Harley-Stuart, she deserves so much credit. I couldn’t do any of the things I do at school without her. She comes over early in the morning and watches the children. She puts them on the bus. She watches Josie all day long. If I forget something at school, she will drive it to me.
At school, the faculty and staff have been so supportive. The custodians offer to stay late if I need. And I love to get the kids outside; they love to go outside and get muddy and play in the rain. But it’s hard to do if they’re not dressed appropriately.
Somebody said, “You know what? Put it on social media and see if people are willing to help.” In two days, I had 16 rain suits for the classroom. There are so many great people out there who want to support these young students and what we’re doing in pre-K. I’ve just been blown away by the community.
