HIGHLIGHT ON HUGHES

HUGHES

Ms. Lauren Hughes, Pioneer Academy’s English Department head, was requested by our students to give this year’s keynote speech and today she warned them of the dangers of living their lives in goblin mode. She encouraged them to seize

What led you to teach? Why do you enjoy it?

I’m just a big nerd, I guess! I’ve always loved reading and writing and I guess part of me just wanted to keep being in a school environment. For me, learning is really fun, and being able to be a part of it allows me to pass that love of learning on. Also, my students teach me new things every day.

Were there any other careers you had before teaching?

There sure were. After I got my masters at Notre Dame, I worked as a bookseller for a while and then as a book buyer for a wholesaler that would sell books to Amazon, the major chain stores, and independent stores. Being a book buyer was a blast because I got the inside scoop on all the new books that were coming out and got lots of free books, too. As a book lover myself, It was also fun to order what were sometimes thousands of copies when one of the books hit the bestseller list. When my kids were little, I did the day and to make the most of each moment given to them. Because of her many talents and excellent rapport with her students, she is now Head of our English Department and one of our hard working senior advisers. some freelance writing for some online education sites. When my kids got a little older, I wanted to make a change, so I decided to pursue teaching. good grades? What about your work makes you happy?

It’s a cliche but I love those “aha” moments when a lightbulb goes off in a student’s head.

What motivates you to work with young adults and teenagers? How do you respond to the idea that teenagers are difficult and do not care about the world around them?

If you switched careers what would you do? What is your fantasy career? A student recently asked me this! I always wanted to be a writer, but I don’t know how I feel about that now. I do think if I was to do it over, I would possibly study psychology and become a psychologist. I find psychology so fascinating.

What satisfies you more than just

I think adolescence is an exciting time in life–students are developing their identities and thinking about their futures. Teenagers are difficult because they are humans and humans are difficult! They do care. I think it’s hard for us to put ourselves in their shoes and so I think it can be easy to misinterpret their actions as indifference.

What are your plans for the future? After teaching what will you do? I hope to travel more. I’ve always wanted to take a cross-country road trip to see the national parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite.