In her first year as a special education instructor, new Wiscasset High School teacher Melissa Burgess has set several goals.

There is one goal she hopes for at the end of the school year, and when her students look back over the 2014-15 school year.

“I think just a smile (from the students) would be great,” she said.

Burgess said her path was a long way toward Wiscasset.

She started originally in the medical laboratory field where she worked near her hometown of Monmouth.

Burgess isn't new to education, however. She's worked for the last nine years as an ed-tech while she went back to school for special education.

“This is actually my second career,” she said. “I spent 14 years working in the medical field in a lab.”

But teaching was always at least in the back of her mind, if not the forefront, Burgess said. There was also little doubt as to which subject or field on which she would concentrate, as a family member identifies as being handicapped, so there was a personal reason for wanting to be involved with special education.

Burgess lives in Monmouth with her husband and children, and said she wasn't too familiar with the Midcoast before joining the high school.

Her reception to the area has been a warm one, Burgess said, and especially in the classroom.

“So far, I love it,” she said. “I think Wiscasset is a great community. Everyone I've met so far has been great and friendly. It's definitely been a warm welcome for me.”

Being a teacher has also given Burgess more time to be with her family.

“I've wanted to be a teacher for a while, because I've always loved children,” she said. “(When I decided to make the change) I was working the third shift, going to school .... There just wasn't enough time.

“So, I applied for a job at a school (to become an education technician) and started going back to school to get my bachelor’s degree in education.”

From there, Burgess made her way to Wiscasset High School.

“It's been about how I expected,” she said. “I'm starting to get to know everyone and things are getting in their place.”