Teacher of the Week: Jean Hughes

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Commanding the attention of a classroom filled with more than 20 five-year-old kids can be nothing short of tricky.

It takes patience and an energetic personality to maintain control of the room, but our Teacher of the Week does it with ease, all while making learning contagious.

Every day starts out similar in Mrs. Hughes kindergarten class at Parsley Elementary. They begin their day with reading and move on to physical education or art. After specials the students head back to their homeroom and have a snack. This is where we surprised Hughes.

“How about that,” she said with a smile plastered on her face.

In the past Hughes has taught second, third, and fourth grades, but she found her niche with kindergarten students.

“They’re delightful. It is the best age,” said Hughes. “I like the five-year-olds. They’ll believe anything you say.”

Their gullible ears though, are not outdone by their innocence.

“I should have made a book out of all the little anecdotes that have come out over the years,” Hughes laughed.

Even with more than three decades of teaching behind her, some of those stories still make her chuckle to this day.

“I told my children last year I was going to have a grandson. One of my students said “Well that will be the end of you.’ I said ‘Well, what do you mean?’ She said ‘Once you have those, then you die.’ She really did say that! I just thought ‘Oh my goodness,'” said Hughes.

After 32 years in the classroom Mrs. Hughes plans to retire within the next couple of weeks. She said she plans on going to the beach, exercising, and welcoming a second grandson into the world.

“It will be sad. It is bittersweet,” she said.

But before she said goodbye to the classroom, she has one last assignment to be our Teacher of the Week.