Alicia Bridges ‘25: A Place to Learn, A Place to Belong

Alicia Bridges ‘25 always knew she wanted to be a teacher. After earning her degree at UMF, in secondary education, she is now in her second year of teaching at Mt. Blue Middle School. Alicia is focused on growing her skills as an educator and continuing to make a positive impact on her students. 

As she reflects on her first year as a teacher, she recalls one her favorite memories– celebrating Pi Day with her 8th grade students. The student who could memorize the most digits of pi got to choose a teacher to pie, and Alicia was selected. 

“Pieing” a teacher is a tradition at Mt. Blue Middle School. “The kids worked so hard to memorize as many digits as they could just so they could pie me, which made it such a fun and memorable experience,” Alicia says. “Moments like that are what make teaching so special to me. I’m really looking forward to building those same kinds of relationships and creating fun memories with my new group of students this year.”

Mt. Blue Middle School’s two-year rotation means she gets the opportunity to work with brand-new students, bringing a fresh experience to each school year. For her, the opportunity to work with new groups of students is one of the most exciting parts of teaching.

One of Alicia’s core beliefs as an educator is that no amount of preparation can account for every situation that might arise. Planning and preparation are essential, and so is the ability to adapt. She has also come to understand that classroom management cannot be treated as something separate from teaching– it needs to be integrated into the classroom every day.

The philosophy Alicia developed as a student at UMF continues to influence the kind of classroom she wants to create. “I want to always encourage everyone to be themselves,” is her motto. When she reflects back on her time as a student at UMF, she remembers the sense that there was a place for everyone. She hopes to bring that same feeling into her classroom.

Alicia notes that UMF does a particularly good job of encouraging future teachers to bring their own personalities into their teaching. For her, being an effective educator is not about fitting into one particular mold. It is about understanding students, making accommodations when they are needed, and creating an environment where every student has the opportunity to learn. That commitment to inclusion and individuality is something she carries with her from UMF into her classroom at Mt. Blue Middle School.