MAINE MEMORIAL -- Lynn Coughlin beams with pride when describing her 25 years working at Maine-Endwell. As an administrative assistant and building secretary at Maine Memorial, she’s often the first smiling face you see when walking through the elementary school doors. Many would describe Lynn as a “Lifelong Learner,” and she’s certainly lived up to the motto in recent years.
The veteran staff member recently completed the requirements for the Professional Standards Program, earning Advanced III and Certified Education Office Professional certificates. This is the only national certification program for educational office professionals.
“Once I saw the significance of it and that you could gradually work toward it, because I was working with the whole time, I decided that I really wanted to go for that.”
Coughlin is currently the President of the New York State Association of Educational Office Professionals. She’s been working for years to earn the highest level of the national Professional Standards Program (PSP III) and is now officially a certified Educational Office Employee. (CEOE) Earning this designation takes more credits than a college bachelor’s degree.
"It was wonderful. It was like your own self accomplishment. We're really hard on ourselves a lot. And this made me feel like I really did it. And it's worth the time and effort. And, you know, I really believe to be able to support our principals and administration, we have to be trained and we need to know how to do things better.”
Coughlin’s three children attended Maine Endwell and she now has three grandkids at Homer Brink. She says M-E has always been home.
“We're like a family. We work together, we have a good team.”
Anyone interested in joining the New York State Association of Educational Office Professionals is invited to apply here. https://www.nysaeop.org/membership/