by: Justin Cole
You know that door that you see staring you in the face once you climb the
main staircase in the lobby? The one that’s always right in front of you, just
within arm’s reach? Well, that door belongs to Ms. Marsha Pelletier. You may know her as the teacher who educates students in English and French, while others may know her from the clubs that she advises, such as LitMag and the Academic Decathlon.
Or, you could just know her from seeing her in the hall as she herds students into smaller, more manageable groups around the halls during break or before school. One way or another, it can be said that almost everyone knows(or has at least heard of) the exceptional Ms. Pelletier.
There are a number of impressive aspects about Ms. Pelletier: her college
degrees, her clubs, her hobbies–things that together make a very well-rounded and respectable individual. She began teaching 8 years ago, after earning three college degrees: a Bachelor’s in English and a Master’s degree in Communicationsfrom the University of Hartford, and a Master’s in Teaching English from Boston University. Before teaching, she freelanced around the Boston area for about 8 months, worked as an advertising production coordinator, and was employed in fundraising at a Boston area public radio known as WBUR.
Nowadays, though, she still has a part-time job working as a promoter for an organic farm in the Boston area.
Ms. Pelletier was inspired to teach during college, while taking courses
that focused on one-on-one tutoring, especially involving special education. She says that a huge part of the gratification she gets as a teacher is from just
helping the kids.
In fact, when asked about her teaching and why she’s passionate about teaching Ms. Pelletier states, “You can say it two ways; you can
teach English, or you can teach students.”
In terms of her decisions to teach French and English, she loves both; in fact, she minored in French in college.
English is quite another story. Her love for the subject began as a young kid, perhaps even a toddler, being the bookworm in her family, and that love was nurtured as she wrote throughout her life, be it in school, college, at work, or in her own personal time.
She expressed her feeling for English as just loving words
and communicating through writing. However, her passions aren’t just limited to English, French, and teaching. She has many other interests.
Ms. Pelletier spends her free time with her love of cooking, along with bike riding, hiking, and knitting. And when you factor in the clubs she heads, LitMag and the Academic Decathlon, she doesn’t have much free time.
And speaking of little time, Ms. Pelletier and the Lit. Mag will be hosting Ned’s Coffee House coming up on November 10th, so be sure to come, as it’s been a lot of fun year after year!
