What Makes You Most Proud?

Over the course of the school year I have shared reflections from our staff based on the number of years they have been in service to the Hudson Community School District. Those reflections have ranged from questions that the newest members of our team have about the district; to advice from veterans to those same novice educators. Along the way they have shared with us what still excites them about the work they do, the most important thing they have learned in their career, and work that remains for them. It has been quite a journey to read and reflect on these words of insight and wisdom. Today, as we are closing in on the final month of the school year, we'll end this series with some thoughts from the most seasoned members of our team. For some of these educators, we are not only closing in on the end of the school year, but they are also entering the twilight of their career. 

These employees have all been with the district for more than 20 years. That is quite an accomplishment, particularly considering the generalized statistics of how often the average adult changes jobs over the span of their working lives. It is a testament to their own personal loyalty to the district, and hopefully an overall satisfaction with how this place makes them feel. It has to be a little of that, right? So the question that was posed to them? What makes you most proud?

If there was a theme that could be drawn from those responses, it would be the relationships they have formed with their students and the overriding belief that Hudson is more than simply a workplace or a school. It is a family. A dedication to our students, not only developing them academically, but truly caring for them as individuals with hopes, dreams, and aspirations. It is having a role to play in setting them up to be successful when they leave us. And they are so proud when those [former] students return to their community years later and see how successful they have become. Bumping into a former student who, with a wide grin recalls a lesson from class, or a story they told that piqued an interest. These relationships helped spark a flame that was first ignited within the walls of their classrooms. To see them now giving back, in some cases when that former student transforms into a trusted colleague.

They mentioned the challenges they have faced as educators. They recall moments when money was tight and enrollment was on the decline. They admit that in some of those moments it was difficult to envision a bright future. But they rose together, as a family and met those challenges. They realize(d) that even during the tough times it is important to set an example for our children. They proved to themselves that through it all, they love what they do, they love who they work with, and it has helped them to continue growing as individuals and educators. 

What wasn't mentioned was the test scores, the essays, or the homework that was turned in on time. It was instead the connection that was made when a moment of confused expression transformed into sudden understanding. That moment when the lightbulb turned on. That epoch where pure magic happened.