After working 25 years at Southern Lehigh High School, Mrs. Kelly Howsare will retire at the end of the 2025 year. Throughout the years, she has taught a range of classes within Southern Lehigh: Honors English 9, English 9, English 11, English 12, and AP English Literature.
Apart from teaching, Mrs. Howsare also engaged with students through extracurriculars. She served as the advisor for the Art and Literature Club for two years and the advisor for the Class of 2006.
“Teaching is ‘in my blood’… I feel that I have the qualities of a good teacher: organization, responsibility, a love of learning, and a love for students,” said Mrs. Howsare.
Mrs. Howsare was influenced to pursue a career in education by her mom, sister, aunt, and uncle, who were all teachers. Her mother even started a Christian school in Nassau, Bahamas which still exists today.
She is the type of teacher that creates high standards for her students. She tries to balance love and discipline while running her classroom. Mrs. Howsare thinks that it is important to show kindness and understanding to students but also hold them accountable. She says that it creates both an academic and social classroom environment.
“I try to overcome it by trying to make them understand the importance of reading and making them interested in the story, but honestly, this is a challenge I have yet to overcome,” said Mrs. Howsare.
Mrs. Howsare’s years of teaching at Southern Lehigh have been filled with fond memories of students and colleagues. One of her favorite memories was when she was teaching “Romeo and Juliet” to a class of 9th graders. One of her students was relatively shy but volunteered to take the role of a character in the play to act it out in front of the class. When the student performed, Mrs. Howsare was shocked to discover the outgoing side of his personality. This story has stuck with Mrs. Howsare because not only did it have an impact on the class that day, but it reminds her that every student has different (sometimes hidden) talents.
During retirement, she plans to stay connected to the world of literature by continuing to read books that she enjoys. Only now, she’ll have plenty of time to focus on her reading.
Throughout her years of teaching, she has impacted many students' lives.
“Mrs. Howsare has definitely been the most impactful English teacher I’ve had in my academic career,” said freshman Jenna Steckel. “Her lessons are always informative, yet they still make me laugh and keep me engaged. Although I’m sad she’s leaving, I’m happy I was part of the last group of students to experience her class.”
Mrs. Howare’s favorite lesson to teach is Romeo and Juliet. She says that since the students are engaged in the lesson, because they are acting it out, it makes it a more enjoyable experience for her and for the students.
Being a teacher for many years, Mrs. Howsare has some advice to share. Being responsible and organized is one of the many lessons she has learned throughout her years. She also expressed how important being kind is in creating a more positive and comfortable environment around you.
The biggest challenge that Mrs. Howsare has been faced with is that students don't seem to enjoy reading anymore. As an English teacher, it only makes her job harder when students don't have the attention span to read and understand a whole novel. She describes how students have lost their curiosity and sense of wonder, along with the patience and concentration to focus on a book.She urges students to make changes in their lives to better embody these attributes.
“Put down your phones. Go outside and enjoy nature. Take a walk. Ride a bike. Read a book. Talk, I mean really talk to your friends. Be curious about life. Be kind to your family and your friends,” said Mrs. Howsare.
During retirement, Mrs. Howsare plans on letting go of the stress from the school year. She looks forward to having time for herself, not having to wake up early for work, and especially not grading essays. Although she may be leaving the high school behind, she hopes that her students still look back on her class, fondly.
“I hope that they remember the discussions we had in class, that they remember the funny situations and interactions that we had in the classroom, and that they remember that I care for them,” said Mrs. Howsare.