Who are you and how long have you been teaching?
My name is Kevin Forster and I live in Freeport with my wife, Nathalie. She is scientist and works for a biotechnology company doing antibody development. We have two adult children. Emily lives in Washington DC and works in the Peace Corps Headquarters. Benjamin lives in Denver and he works in Information Technology. They both went to Freeport schools and loved every minute. The schools here in Freeport prepared them well and enabled them to be very successful in college. We are lucky to live in such a great community with such wonderful schools.
Teaching is my second career. My undergraduate degree is in Economics and my first graduate degree was an MBA. I worked for a global insurance company as an operations manager for 15 years before making the career change to teaching. I started teaching in 2001 after completing the Extended Teacher Education Program (ETEP) at USM. My second graduate degree is an MS in Education. I also have a (CAS) Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Leadership through USM's Leaders of Tomorrow’s Schools (LTS) Program.
What is the best way of contacting you if I have a question, comment or concern?
E-mail is the one sure way to get a quick response from me. I am on e-mail periodically throughout the day and make it a personal goal of returning messages within 24 hours.
My e-mail: forsterk@rsu5.org
What does my student need to bring to class each day?
Laptop (because most of their math work is on it)
A notebook, pencil and calculator
A positive attitude and eagerness to learn
What can you tell us about homework?
Homework assignments are listed on the FMS Grade 7 Google calendar.
There are study halls in school where much of the homework can be completed.
Parents are expected to help with H.W. as much as is necessary.
I do NOT want students doing math HW for more than 30 minutes a night. After 30 minutes, a parent should write me a note stating that the student worked on it for 30 minutes. That is good enough.
What supports are available for students who are having difficulties in class?
I am available during the daily study hall and after school (by appointment) to meet with students needing additional support. Sometimes even motivated and hard working students just don’t make progress due to some learning obstacle. If I feel that this is the case, I may refer your student for special educational testing to help identify any potential issue and work to get it addressed as soon as possible.