Interview with Mary Hines

[middtube nzucker mp3: maryhines_nathanzucker_10.07]

For my first interview, I talked with Mary Hines, former principal and teacher at Robinson Elementary School in Starksboro. Hines spent 27 years at the district, and she commented extensively on the myriad experiences that constituted her time as an administrator in the Starksboro schools. However, the theme which recurred throughout the interview was that of community. In the life of this principal, the school and the town were not two separate entities; neither were her home and her job. Everything was strongly integrated under the umbrella of community involvement, and this is the main reason why Hines’ tenure as principal was highly effective.

Log:

1:00–Hines spoke of her father’s career as a teacher and an administrator in Vermont. This was one of her primary motivations for becoming involved in education, and she always identified strongly with school. She felt that her family influenced her from a young age; she grew up to love school and wanted to be involved.

7:00–After teaching for 12 years in Robinson, Hines reported that the move to administration wasn’t difficult. She had earned her Masters and administrative degree at the University of Vermont, and she felt ready to become a leader in the district. “I knew the community. It was a good move for me, and I think it was a good move for the school.”

8:50–Hines commented extensively on her desire to stay involved as principal. She was never the bureaucratic administrator that sits behind the desk answering the telephone; instead, Hines remained involved with the students, having lunch with kids, participating in bus and recess duty. This hands-on approach was one characteristic of her tenure at Robinson.

13:37–At this point I asked Hines about the changes she had seen in the classroom during her time as a teacher and administrator. The discussion soon turned to technology and the influence the Internet age had had in the system. Hines saw this as largely a positive difference, although she admitted that students must learn to use technology responsibly. “It used to be there was one computer in every classroom. The tech lab didn’t come here until three or four years ago.”

19:00–Hines and I continued our discussion about the ways in which schools had evolved during her career. The emphasis on special education and individual needs was one aspect we both highlighted, and she remarked that Starksboro had begun to employ special educators on a full-time basis to deal with the increased importance of this area. She highlighted the role of the community in supporting children with special needs, and the fact that parents were involved. “We have a very supportive community; the school is the center of the community.”

26:10–At this point the interview turned to Hines’ personal life in Starksboro. When she mentioned that she had two sons, I asked her if she worried about raising them to live in another place. Fortunately, she never doubted that her children would venture too far from home; she said she expected them to remain in Vermont. “They grew up in the country,” she explained.

33:20–After retiring from the position as principal, Hines indicated that she had begun a new career in the tourist industry. She and her husband rent out cottages in Grand Isle, VT to people looking to spend a week or month on the shoreline of Lake Champlain. The experience, in her view, had exposed her to many new people from around the country. Hines also said how surprised she was that so many people love to come to Vermont;we both agreed that it was one of the most popular states in the country.

40:20–The last main thing Hines discussed was Town Meeting, a tradition here in Vermont. She remarked that she had only missed one such gathering in the past 35 years, and that was because she was vacationing in the Caribbean. As principal, she felt she had to attend town meeting, showing her belief in the power of community. This was a thread that ran from the start to the end of the interview.

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