The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
TEACHER OF THE YEAR
English educator Maura Hurley surprised, pleased to receive honor
WINSTED » Maura Hurley is an English teacher who spends her days talking to her students, but this week she found herself speechless with joy.
Hurley was called forward in front of an audience of family members and cheering students Tuesday afternoon, presented with flowers, and announced as the Teacher of the Year at The Gilbert School.
“(I was) shocked. I was shaking. I’m not usually one to be at a loss for words, but even standing up there, I didn’t know what to say,” Hurley said. “And I’m not one to cry, and tears were coming to my eyes.”
Hurley, of Westfield, Mass., has been an English teacher at Gilbert for 14 years, instructing high school students from each grade level.
She went into the profession after a stint in an unsatisfying desk job, she said, and turned to teaching with the knowledge that she enjoyed building relationships with young people.
The students, she said Tuesday, have kept her in the profession ever since.
“I haven’t wanted to do anything other than be in education since then,” said Hurley.
After working at St. Mary’s Parish School in Westfield and Southwick-Tolland Regional High School, Hurley was introduced to Gilbert through a now-colleague at the school — and her choice to take a job there, she said, was a good one.
“I made that right choice,” said Hurley. “When we joke and say, ‘the Gilbert way,’ ‘the Gilbert family’ — it really is. We take care of each other, and it’s nice
to be honored by those people that I work with.”
The award was well-deserved, according to Hurley’s fellow teachers.
Principal Alan Strauss read a compilation of their remarks before announcing Hurley as the award winner.
“Here are some quotes from some of the staff: this person is everything that a teacher of the year should be. This person goes above-and-beyond for everyone. They are diligent and they care about their students,” said Strauss. “They’re knowledgable in their content and helpful to others. They put (the) interest of students first, (and hold) high expectations, while giving students the tools they need to be successful.”
Strauss concurred, just before announcing Hurley’s name.
“The 2017 teacher of the year — without question, this is well-deserved,” said Strauss.
Hurley was particularly pleased to be recognized by her peers Tuesday, since they have practical experience with the demands of the job and the life of a teacher.
“I think that the accolade is most meaningful because it was voted on by
other teachers, so I know that people who understand the day-in, the day-out, the rigor of teaching, they appreciate what I do. So that means that I really do it,” said Hurley.
“(The award is) not why I teach, how I teach, or the way I help other teachers, why I help other teachers, or why I step into students’ situations,” said Hurley. “I do it because that teacher needs that help, or that student needs that help, and I can help them. If I can’t... then I try to help them figure out a way for them to get help, because there’s nothing worse than that feeling of being alone. It’s (the award) just like that culmination of everything.”
The chance to impart something to students — to challenge them, and have them benefit — is a particular pleasure, Hurley said.
She pointed to a recent conversation with young people in her AP Language and Composition class as an example.
“One of the boys, who is (a) brilliant young man, he said ‘don’t take this the wrong way — I didn’t think it was a hard class, but I learned a lot.’ And I said ‘I’d rather that. I want you to feel you learned,’” said Hurley. “And someone’s like, ‘I was challenged all year.’ And to me ... hearing that from those kids this week, when they said that, (it) equals this award.”
The assembly was also a chance to recognize a longtime staffer at Gilbert. The annual yearbook was dedicated to Sandra O’Connor, the executive assistant to Superintendent of Schools Anthony Serio and Principal Alan Strauss.