Education

Bio

Dr. Wendi Malenfant has dedicated her career to the field of Education. She is a proud graduate of the teacher preparation program at the University of Maine at Presque Isle and taught in the Presque Isle school system for 17 years. She served as Easton Elementary School principal for five years and has been teaching in the teacher preparation program at UMPI since 2015. Dr. Malenfant did her doctoral dissertation on mathematics anxiety in first-generation pre-service teachers and aspires to help mitigate that anxiety in her students in order to break the mathematics anxiety cycle. She believes building relationships with students is the first crucial step in educating tomorrow’s leaders, and she looks for ongoing opportunities to immerse her students in the field to interact with teachers and students in local public schools. Dr. Malenfant is passionate about teaching and learning and strives to inspire her students to learn and grow along with her. She lives in Westfield with her husband, Kevin, who is also an educator and University of Maine at Presque Isle graduate.

Areas of Expertise

Elementary Education Early Childhood Education Educational Leadership/Administration Math Anxiety in Pre-Service Teachers

Scholarly Activities

• Ph.D. in Educational Leadership: “A Quantitative Study of Mathematics Anxiety in First-Generation Pre-Service Teachers”