Q&A
WITH HASSAN S. ROBINSON '91
Hassan S. Robinson ’91 is principal of Highland
Elementary School in Manchester, Connecticut. Previously he served as the assistant principal
at Bennet Academy in Manchester and taught at O’Connell Elementary School in East Hartford.
Hassan has also taught at East Hartford High School, Sunset Ridge School, and O'Brien Elementary School — all in the East Hartford School District. He began his teaching career in Springfield, Massachusetts. Robinson also played minor-league baseball with
the Houston Astros for five years after getting his undergraduate degree. Hassan and his wife, Julie, have three children.
What are the other challenges as a principal? The other challenge is our commitment to making
diversity, equity, and inclusion part of the curriculum. We realized we needed to understand the kids in front of us. This has been something we have been challenging ourselves with for about seven years, from the books on the shelves to how we talk about race in the classroom. Our read-aloud books are hugely important. We feature titles such as The King of Kindergarten by Derrick Barnes to make sure our students—roughly 60% are students of color—see themselves. That work has to begin at the elementary school level.
Are there any takeaways from COVID, Lessons learned? The struggles and triumphs of educators seemed especially highlighted in the pandemic era. How are teachers at your school holding up? Teachers are perfectionists, and I tried to tell them
that it was okay for once not to be. I would say, “This year we go with the flow.” I wanted to stay calm and lead by example. I would remind them that this is an unusual time and to be mindful of that when they start being too hard on themselves. But, yes, it was a roller coaster! Sometimes we might hear, at the end of the school year, that teachers can’t wait for summer vacation. This year, I heard more often, “I want to get back to the classroom.” Our teachers came back to stickers on the floor and desk shields—a different world. We were fortunate to have a strong and innovative superintendent who centralized decisions in a way that made the path clear for teachers and administrators, and less politicized. We are a large district, roughly 7,000 students [2,000 would stay remote]. My school was fullyin person last November—220 in school and roughly 100 students who chose to stay remote.
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CUSHING TODAY
The importance of small classrooms, individualized
attention, small group settings. Students were outside more. We had lunch tables outside. Seeing the joy in the student’s faces—playing and learning outside was great. Our students are so resilient. Our kindergarteners who began last year had not known something different than a mask and a desk shield, but they did so well.
What would you say to current Cushing students who are considering a career in education? Go into the career for the right reasons: 1. For the
students, to develop them for the future. 2. For their families, to be an advocate and support for them as well. 3. As corny as it sounds, to build the future. These students are the future.
Who were the teachers at Cushing who made a difference for you? The Wennings — Marcy and Bill Wenning were
like second parents to me. The day I was drafted (by the Houston Astros) in 1994, I actually wanted to go be somewhere I felt comfortable, so I drove to Cushing and to the Wennings. When the call came it was at their house!
