MANSFIELD — Inside the brick building on East Street, four educators who began teaching within 2 years of each other, all spending the beginning of their careers teaching fourth grade at Jordan/Jackson Elementary School, have created a lifelong friendship despite taking varying paths within the Mansfield Public Schools system.
As part of Mansfield Public Schools' Educator Spotlight series, Superintendent Teresa Murphy would like to recognize educators Josh Curry, Steve Dunlea, Jill Mansfield, and Meghan McCarthy.
With over 20 years of education experience each, the fourth-grade teachers have explored and embarked on different career paths in education and different classroom experiences, all in Mansfield.
Three of the four remain in positions at Jordan/Jackson Elementary School (J/J), while only one, Curry, is still a fourth-grade teacher. Today, Curry teaches in the classroom where McCarthy began teaching in 2001. Years later, Mansfield moved into the classroom. In a nearby classroom, Dunlea taught fourth grade for 12 years.
The four teachers ate lunch together daily, raised their children simultaneously, and leaned on each other for support, especially as young educators. Together, they have served as role models to new teachers and welcomed student-teachers into their classrooms.
While Curry has remained a fourth-grade teacher since he began teaching in 2001, Mansfield became an adjustment counselor at J/J, McCarthy is a reading specialist at the elementary school, and Dunlea has gone on to teach physical education at Mansfield High School (MHS).
Various pathways exist for educators, and Mansfield Public Schools supports those who want to pursue career changes.
Jill Mansfield
Mansfield, who began teaching third grade at J/J in 1999, moved to fourth grade the following year and spent the next 24 years teaching that grade.
Mansfield and Curry were "team teachers" and split teaching subjects between classes for 13 years.
In February, Mansfield transferred to a School Adjustment Counselor position at J/J, where she serves students in grades 3-5. The new position afforded her a unique opportunity in a school where she knew the staff, students, plans, and processes.
Before she began teaching, Mansfield was the director of an adult day care program and would often invite elementary school students to join and help out with her programs. She noticed the energy of the younger students and decided to go back to school, where she realized her true passion was in education.
"In the classroom, I really focused on social-emotional learning and making sure my kids felt ready to learn," Mansfield said. "It just felt right after being a teacher for 25 years to try something new that I was passionate about and get reenergized. I didn't have to leave a building where I have so many friendships and connections with students, and now I can use my experiences as a teacher to support both the teachers and students."
Mansfield has a Bachelor of Science in Recreation, Management, and Policy and Therapeutic Recreation from the University of New Hampshire and a Master's in Education in Guidance/School Counseling from Providence College. Mansfield also has a Post Baccalaureate Degree in Elementary Education from Bridgewater State University.
Meghan McCarthy
McCarthy was hired as a multi-grade 3/4 teacher at J/J in 2001.
She spent 10 years in the classroom Curry now teaches in and became a reading specialist at the same school in 2011.
McCarthy was undecided about what career she wanted to pursue early in college. When she got into schools as part of education classes, she quickly realized what she wanted to do. Her mother was a teacher, so she was familiar with the profession growing up.
"I always enjoyed teaching reading, and I was interested in a new role," McCarthy said. "I love working in small groups and providing interventions to struggling students. I work with so many different teachers in different grades, and I lead professional development and serve on curriculum teams."
Throughout her career, McCarthy has served as a mentor to younger teachers.
McCarthy has a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Stonehill College and a Master's in Language and Literacy and Education from Framingham State College.
Steve Dunlea
Dunlea began teaching fourth grade at J/J in 1999, the same year Mansfield started at the school.
He spent more than a decade teaching the grade before becoming a fifth-grade teacher in 2011. In 2016, he took a role teaching physical education at J/J and then at MHS in 2018.
Dunlea is heavily involved in athletics, having served as a freshman football coach and assistant baseball coach at MHS and a varsity baseball coach at Attleboro High School.
"As much as I loved the classroom, I didn't want to get burned out spending my entire career in one setting," Dunlea said. "I had talked to teachers who moved around to different roles, and it really seemed to reenergize them. The new roles presented me with different challenges and brought a new energy."
Dunlea has a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Arts in Elementary Education from Boston College.
Josh Curry
Curry, an MHS graduate who still calls Mansfield home, began his career at J/J in 2001.
Curry's algebra class at MHS made him interested in pursuing a career in education, but it was his time volunteering at J/J during his senior year of high school that made him realize the elementary grades were where he wanted to be.
"No two school years are the same," Curry said. "Each year brings new students, new challenges, and new curriculum. There is always something new to learn as a teacher."
Curry is well-respected for taking part in activities outside the classroom by serving on a variety of committees at J/J and throughout the District, including the School Council, curriculum teams, and most recently, the District’s Vision and Mission Planning Committee.
"My favorite part of teaching is the connection I'm able to make with the kids," Curry said. "Having the same group of kids all day allows me to make connections you don't make in some other positions outside the classroom."
Curry has a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and Sociology from UMass Amherst and a Master's in Education from Fitchburg State College.
Mansfield Public Schools Supports New Career Paths
The group of original fourth-grade teachers said Mansfield Public Schools supports teachers who are interested in pursuing different career paths.
"Whenever a position would open up that would suit our skills, administrators would approach us and let us know about it and encourage us to apply if we were interested," Mansfield said. "They knew our backgrounds and wanted to give us a chance to try something new if we wanted to."
Superintendent Murphy, a graduate of MHS, knows the group well. She returned to Mansfield Public Schools as the assistant principal at J/J in 2005, when they all taught fourth grade there. She then became the principal at J/J, before becoming the assistant superintendent, then superintendent in 2016.
"The District has always considered the kids," Dunlea said. "If it meant staying in your current role or moving on to a new one, they wanted what would be best for the children."
Mansfield Public Schools offers many opportunities for educators to contribute to school and District initiatives outside the classroom.
The Student Support Team works to refine efforts to meet the unique needs of all students and be a steady source of support for staff.
ICU Teams help facilitate schoolwide efforts to develop a sense of belonging for all District students and staff. The letters represent a slogan that communicates "I SEE YOU" to the community and that you matter.
The District also has Curriculum Teams and Vertical Teams, whose members mentor new hires. Mansfield Public Schools works with educators who need to fulfill internship requirements for additional professional licensure and supports educators who are invited to speak at organizations they are members of.
“I’m honored to recognize these talented and dedicated educators,” Superintendent Murphy said. “They have made a difference in the lives of countless Mansfield Public Schools students, and I witnessed that first-hand during my time at Jordan/Jackson Elementary School. As a District, Mansfield Public Schools is proud to support the many pathways our teachers take, and there are not many better examples than this group. While Josh continues to positively impact fourth-graders in the classroom, Jill, Meg, and Steve have taken different paths and are equally influential in the lives of our students.”
###
