Maine Motif Issue 2, Vol. II (Winter, 2018) | Page 16

Fresh Chapters
A REVIEW OF A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
OFFERED BY BETH LAMBERT AND THE MAINE
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
By Lauren Murphy, General Music VP 6-12
I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to participate in the first two book club sessions
offered by the Maine DOE this school year. The experience has opened my mind and
given me the chance to interact with other members in the field of the Visual and
Performing arts that I may not have gotten the chance to meet otherwise.
We use an online meeting platform called Zoom where you can see the faces of other
members that are spread out across the state of Maine. The groups that I have
experienced have included Elementary, Middle, and High School Teachers that are
working in Art, Music, and Theater. This professional interaction between colleagues is
satisfying in a profession that can be so isolating.
A special thanks to Beth Lambert for running the group. Leading us when we needed it
and following the group down some wonderful rabbit holes.
The Artistic Edge- Lisa Phillips
We started out the school year by reading “The
Artistic Edge” which highlights 7 skills children
need to succeed in an increasingly right
brained world. We met three times for two
hours each time.
This book was a pleasantly quick read with
very clear highlights for advocacy purposes.
Upon reading it, most of the information felt
familiar, but summed up in a way that was as
clear and concise as the arts could be.