As she continues to learn about the ever-expanding lists of demands of being the new President of Holliston Federation of teachers, Jaime Cutone is able to look to her colleagues and also to her own teachers and guides for inspiration and support. She looks back in particular to a young teacher she had when growing up in what she refers to as a “small, blue-collar hometown” in Rural WA.
“In my ninth grade Geology class,” Cutone recalls, “my regular science teacher had taken in a student teacher; a gentleman in his 30's. It was at that moment when I bore witness an adult learning how to be a teacher and combining that with their passion for science, that it dawned on me…[that] I could do that.”
While the junior teacher demonstrated how to learn while teaching, the mentor teacher also inspired Cutone’s educational endeavors as well.
“I loved both of my science teachers,” she says. “The energy and passion they shared through teaching science and the kindness, attention, and encouragement they gave to their students helped me to see that there's more to teaching than just the facts.”
In addition to great teachers, Cutone enjoyed interesting subjects that she would later share with her own students. Top among these was her Introductory Physical Science (IPS) class.
“[It was] a hands-on experiment-based science course engineered to build critical thinking in the scientific mind,” Cutone explains. “The valuable skills and incredible experience I gained from te IPS class launched me into planning how I could become a science teacher.”
Driven to earn a degree that would lead her to a career teaching science,” Cutone enrolled in college courses at the age of 15.
“I grew up knowing that my parents would not be able to help me pay for college,” she explains, “so it was up to me to figure out how to reach my goals.”
As a local community college was offering dual credits for high school students, Cutone took full advantage.
“I saw this opportunity and realized this was the way for me to be able to go to college,” she says, recalling demanding days that included college classes, high school track practice, and a job to help pay for it all. Fortunately, it all paid off.
“In 1994, I graduated with an Associate's degree the same weekend I graduated from high school,” Cutone recalls. “Three weeks later, I was living in Bellingham, WA, taking classes at Western Washington University where I eventually graduated at 19...with a Bachelor's in Geology while working three different jobs: waitressing, nannying and as an office assistant at a law firm.”
After graduating from WWU, Cutone crossed the country to attend Lesley University in Cambridge, emerging with an MEd in Science Education.
“MA was attractive to me,” Cutone explains, noting that her father’s family had a “long familial history” in Cambridge. “As I set my sights on where teachers and public education were held in high regard by the public. MA has had a long-standing reputation of providing a high level of quality education and that was something I wanted to be a part of.”
While in the Boston area, Cutone continued to work as a waitress and also volunteered as an educator at the Arnold Arboretum and a teacher and counselor for Horizons for Youth.
“My job as a waitress was the key to being able to attend college,” she says. “Waitressing throughout graduate school and during my early years as a teacher was how I supplemented my income until I was finally able to give it up after becoming a more experienced teacher.”
After garnering her Masters, Cutone taught and coached at Dover-Sherborn Middle School, eventually becoming the head of the science department. She then spent some time as a licensed family child-care provider. Two years later, she took her talents to Holliston, becoming an eighth grade science teacher at the Robert Adams Middle School. In this capacity, Cutone has supported students in their understandings of such diverse scientific topics as Chemistry, Genetics, Physics, and, of course, IPS. Cutone has also served the Adams community as a track coachCutone has also served the Adams community as a track coach.
“My experience working with children…has enhanced my innate ability to provide a nurturing, positive environment in order to explore creativity and to stimulate learning in children,” Cutone says, citing among her greatest strengths her creative and organizational skills, effective communication skills, and “a desire to develop a happy, stimulating environment for children.”
In addition to caring for her students, Cutone also cares deeply for her colleagues and strives to do all she can for then as well.
“My involvement with the union started in the early 2000's as a building representative, extra compensatory committee member and negotiations team member,” Cutone recalls, noting that she has also served on the negotiations team and now as the president of Local 3275.
“I have continued my activism for speaking up for labor rights in public education,” she says.▪