A Life of Learning—

Teachers Retire From Hawley School

By Eliza Hallabeck

This summer is the beginning of a much longer break for three veteran teachers at Hawley School — Karen Stewart, Donna Mishico, and Gale Honychurch — who retired this past week. They were honored at the meeting of the Board of Education two weeks ago for their time spent teaching at Hawley School.

“I think teaching is one of the most worthwhile professions,” said Ms Stewart. She said she has been working as a teacher for 35 years, and she has been at Hawley school for nine years.

She said she first came to the school because a position opened up for a new language arts instructor.

“We revamped the entire language arts reading and writing programs,” Ms Stewart said.

Before the revamp, reading and writing were taught to the entire class. Now, she said, students read books that are appropriate for them.

“It takes a really skilled teacher to incorporate a child’s uniqueness with their motivation,” said Ms Stewart.

Before working in Newtown, Ms Stewart said she worked in Torrington, New Milford, and Bethel. She currently lives in Southbury.

Ms Stewart said she does not know what her future will entail now that she has retired, but “right now I am going to South Africa.”

She said she purchased the safari trip at an auction at Hawley School in 2007. She said she is looking forward to accomplishing a few things of her own right now.

“We all need to be lifelong learners,” Ms Stewart said.

Ms Mishico said she has been teaching the second grade at Hawley School for 39 years. She said her most impacting memories from being a teacher at Hawley come from “watching the children learn and grow.”

She said this year, she received a letter from a students thanking for being a wonderful teacher, and at the end of the letter the student had written that everything she wrote was from the heart.

“Children always bring you new excitement and new thoughts,” said Ms Mishico.

Ms Mishico has been living in Woodbury for 30 years.

“I’m going to miss the children,” said Ms Mishico, “but I am also looking forward to this new part of my life.”

She does not know what she will be doing with her time yet. 

“I’ve been enriched by all the students,” Ms Mishico said. “I enjoyed working with all the parents. It has been a wonderful experience.”

Miss Honychurch was unavailable for comment.

All three of the teachers received nice remarks from Principal Jo-Anne Peters-Edmondson during the Board of Education meeting two weeks ago.

“As I look at these three teachers, I’m just honored to have worked with them,” she said.