English Teacher Mary O’Shea Retires

As this school year comes to a close, some teachers have decided that it is time for them to move on from Robinson. One of those teachers is Mary O’Shea who after 18 years of teaching at Robinson is retiring at last. After teaching for all these years, there are many students who will miss her. One such student is Junior Saki Martin who said, “She spent a lot of time with me, especially after school, always taking my questions, always going in depth.”

Many students like Martin are reminiscing about their years in IB English with Mrs.O’Shea. Junior Shane Young said, “She encourages you to do your best.” Young also made sure to tell about how O’Shea went to one of his lacrosse games and how he was able to talk to her afterwards. He described it as a “cool experience because you don’t usually get that personal connection with teachers.”

O’Shea expressed that she “will miss is all [her] students and the discussions of literature and their writing.” O’Shea is someone with a true love a writing, literature, and teaching, and anyone who spends a minute in her class is able to see that.

O’Shea even says it herself that originally she did plan becoming an English professor, but she ended up changing her goals to teaching in high school and she has never regretted it. “I like passing on my love of literature and writing to younger people. I get a great deal of satisfaction out of this.”

Despite O’Shea’s love of the profession, literature, and her students, she has also made it clear that she is ready to move on to retirement. “I’m sorry about leaving the students, but I’m looking forward to a life where I don’t have to worry at two pm on a sunday afternoon about the crushing workload of papers that I have to correct.”

After retirement O’Shea describes that she will be planning on travelling with her husband. She told of a travel plan that she had years and years ago that never came to pass where in she travels to Northern Italy exploring the renaissance historical sites and looking at the Italian art. Finally after all these years of working hard for her students, O’Shea will be able to do just that.