Meet Phyllis Wentworth!

We are so excited to introduce our newest Passages Teacher, Phyllis Wentworth! Phyllis joined Wayfinder in December of 2023 and teaches students in Cumberland and York counties. It is already clear that Phyllis will be a huge asset to our team - welcome Phyllis!

An Interview with Phyllis Wentworth, Winter 2024

WS: When you were a kid, what did you want to be?
PW: A reporter (both my parents were in the newspaper business).

WS: What was your first job?
PW: I had a morning paper route as a child.

WS: Where did you grow up? What did you like about high school? What would you tell yourself now?
PW: I was born and raised in Southern Maine. In high school I was lucky to have a few teachers who nurtured me as a reader and writer. I was involved in several things, yet in a more quiet way. I had a small circle of close friends. I often felt inadequate -- like I should be more outgoing, cool and fun. Later, I learned there was a word for my personality...I was more introverted. That’s what I would tell my teenage self now -- you are just fine, as is.

WS: Who was one of your favorite teachers and why?
PW: My 5th grade teacher stands out because of how accepted and included she made me feel. I had a hard 4th grade year, and all of the difficulties of that time melted away in this new classroom. When I came to her with ideas of how I wanted to do something a bit differently, she said yes. When I was in college she wrote me a note letting me know that she still had a poem I wrote for her on her wall.

WS: What is your favorite thing to do in your spare time?
PW: To go walking and listening for birds....with family, a friend, or by myself.

WS: What is your favorite Maine spot?
PW: Timber Point - a Rachel Carson / local Land Trust trail which loops through several habitats.

WS: What is your favorite Maine food?
PW: Hmm. Probably mussels.

WS: Favorite sound? Favorite smell?
PW: Can’t deny that it’s the sound of the ocean pounding or lapping the shore, and the smell of salt air.

WS: What are you watching right now?
PW: I watched Nyad (with Annette Bening and Jody Foster) recently.

WS: What are you reading right now?
PW: How It All Began, by Penelope Lively.

WS: What is something most people don’t know about you?
PW: Let’s see, I played the trombone and tuba in high school.

WS: What do you like best about your job?
PW: My students and colleagues.

WS: What do you wish everyone knew about Wayfinder?
PW: That we are here as a viable, flexible, practical alternative!

WS: What are your hopes for the coming year?
PW: That my students meet their own educational goals and feel supported by me.

WS: Anything else you’d like to add?
PW: I feel so fortunate to have joined the Wayfinder team!