Who We Are
WE’RE CRAZY ABOUT GEOGRAPHY!
Maps for the Classroom/“Map of the Month” is a family owned and operated business, started over 20 years ago. We began with a single idea -- help kids learn geography by a hands-on approach! -- and that idea is still at the center of all we do. We provide a unique product that both helps teachers and is fun for students. Since we depend on our multitude of repeat customers, a wide community of teachers and schools, you are very important to us! We have always strived to provide the best in customer service. We have created this new Community website for you: it is devoted to helping you use our geography products more effectively.
The Early Years
We started small! Our first year, working from a tiny third floor apartment in the historic city of Providence, Rhode Island, we offered a dozen maps, including four states. Carrying thousands of maps up and down those stairs built muscles, an unexpected by-product of geography! Over the years we have expanded our MAP LIST to add digital products. We moved to larger quarters to accommodate growing needs: more maps and new customers. Our current office is located in a charming landmark brick building, built in the early 1900’s as a wheel factory, on the scenic Seekonk River.
A Milestone Year
2011 is a milestone for us for many reasons. Here we are introducing our new ONLINE MAPPING COMMUNITY, for YOU, the customer of MAPS FOR THE CLASSROOM. And we are offering our first alternate language map: our new map of SPAIN is available in both English and Spanish versions, topping off our list at 81 hands-on activity maps!
Meet Our Family
Although we have our specific jobs, each of us shares in all aspects of the family business, aiming to help teachers and students in all ways, offering advice about maps, teaching tips, and comprehensive customer service. If you call our office on any given day, any one of us might answer “Maps for the Classroom! How can we help you?” We hope you will use our CONTACT US option to share your thoughts and your needs, and let us know if the site is helping you in all the ways it was intended to do!
Our business has your needs as its foundation, and we cannot grow without your continued support!
JASON NEWTON is our Cartographer, and Planner-Par-Excellence. He graduated from Rhode Island College with a degree in Geography. He has taught workshops in schools in the Northeast for the past 25 years. Jason’s classes led to the founding of MAPS FOR THE CLASSROOM. His constant presence in classrooms, teaching his special hands-on approach to geography, inspires our new maps and keeps us directly connected to the educational community. Jason is always available to talk to customers, to hear their ideas for new maps. Jason is equally comfortable with a globe or a basketball in his hands!
DEBORAH NEWTON came on board to help her brother Jason at the outset, after graduating from Rhode Island College with a degree in English and Art. She is jack-of-all-trades, serving as writer, researcher and illustrator and is the primary author of our BLOG entries. She also writes books about knitting and is a knitwear designer.
REGINA ORIO, sister of Jason and Deborah, has been the heart of Customer Service for almost 15 years. Many of you already know her comprehensive and helpful ways! On the phone or by email, she takes orders and tracks them for you, answers all your questions, helps you decide the best maps for your needs, and spreads her inborn cheer! Regina is our resident World Traveler: after graduating from Rhode Island College, she served in the Peace Corps in the Philippines, where she still returns yearly. We steal her away from the phone whenever we can to have her draw our most charming illustrations. Regina’s son REYNALDO, now living in South Korea and teaching English, worked summers for many years in our shipping department, helping during our busiest season.
LESLIE NEWTON, Jason’s talented wife, also provides a very important aspect in our Customer Service. She is our bookkeeper and speedily generates the paperwork necessary to facilitate all your orders. When you need an invoice in a hurry, or have a request about payment options, she is the one who jumps right in. Leslie is a great cook and we always look forward to having her wonderful meals outside the map office
Last -- but certainly not least! -- CHARLOTTE AND IZZY are following in their cousin REYNALDO’S footsteps, spending their summers at the map office. The young women have become indispensable with their computer and illustration skills, and their athletic grace and ease in the packing department!
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