by Juliana Freeman

After 37 years of teaching, Terry Herring is retiring this year. Herring has found great joy working with the students and staff at the school.

 “It has been a pleasure coming to work every day and being in the company of professional, caring teachers and staff,” Herring said. 

Melissa Leisure has been working with Herring for 8 years. “She is such a hard worker and loves working with the kids,” Leisure said.

Herring loves spending time with her colleagues both inside and outside of the classroom. “When I first came here, the department had a Yankee swap before Christmas and had a Boxing Day. I also love being able to sit with the teachers and talk to them about the curriculum here,” Herring said.

She uses many techniques to engage students.

“I remember one time I had to do a math class with a small group of boys, and I told them that we were having a math opera and they were only allowed to sing the answers,” Herring said.

At the beginning of her career, she taught religious education from 1981-2004 at St. Bridget’s religious education program in Maynard, and from there she started working as a paraprofessional in 2004. She then went to Maynard High School for 5 years (2004-2009), which led her to teaching at Hudson High. 

“I left Maynard High School when my youngest, Thomas, entered high school. I felt the last thing a high school boy would want was his mom in the building with him,” Herring said.

She wanted teaching to be her career because she really wanted to help students enjoy, learn, and love math.

 ”I only teach math, but I’ve worked with science teachers, too. I love working with DNA, punnett squares, Mendel, etc. I chose to teach math because in my capacity here at HHS, I can break down, step by step, how to successfully do a math problem!” Herring said. 

“She will go to the end of the earth, getting scrap paper, folding stuff just to show kids how things work in geometry. She will do anything to help the kids out,” Leisure said.

Her proudest moments here are when her students show confidence in their work and when she has had a hand in the success (graduation) of a student.

She looks forward to retirement, but she is also sad to go.

“Oh my goodness. I will miss the teachers, staff, students, hallways. Everything. I get so happy when I walk down the halls and kids yell out, ‘Hi.’ I love the school spirit, too!” Herring said. 

“I will miss how sincere she is, how she asks how I’m doing, and how she asks what she can do to help,” Leisure said.

After she retires, she will continue to write a book for her grandkids, “The Grandma Diaries,” and to be the grandmother helper at her grandkids’ schools, as well as skiing, skating, and bike riding!