Student Spotlight: Joseph Dupont ‘25 – Student Teacher at Maranacook Community Middle School

Published on: January 13, 2026

When Husson University Education student Joseph Dupont ‘25 needed to complete a student teaching experience as part of his degree, he returned to his hometown school at Maranacook Community Middle School in Readfield, Maine.

As a student teacher, Dupont taught students in sixth grade through eighth grade in all of the four major subjects: English, math, science, and social studies. He also helped students with indoor and outdoor physical activity and participated in advising meetings.

“At a middle school level, I enjoy teaching everything,” said Dupont. “I get to learn about a lot of different things, and ultimately help kids come into their own with any different subject.”

The student teaching experience began in August and ran for 16 weeks. He worked with his advisor, Shelly Tennett, to get the position. In the first weeks, he taught eighth grade math alongside established teachers. Over the course of the semester, he picked up other teaching positions across subjects, and eventually got to teach eighth grade math entirely on his own.

"He was really well prepared to teach when he got here, in part because Husson seemed to push him to be as engaged as possible,” said Aimee Reiter, a teacher and team leader at Maranacook who worked with Dupont throughout his internship. “And his personality was part of it too — Joey really wanted to be here and was passionate about helping students."

The internship gave Dupont real-world experience working in education and an opportunity for a great resume builder right before graduation. But for him, the opportunity to give back to his community was the most important aspect of his work.

“I went to school at Maranacook, so it was kind of like a homecoming for me,” said Dupont. “Now I get to go back and spend 40 hours a week teaching kids and learning the ropes from teachers that I once had.”

Dupont hopes to continue working in middle school teaching around the Kennebec County region, and plans to apply to teach full-time at Maranacook at the beginning of 2026.

— Rin Gately