Many years ago, Mike Huss attended Ione Elementary School as a student. He went on to work there-first as a janitor (看门人) , then as a teacher, and now as a principal.
Huss said he never wanted to be an educator, but his seventh-grade teacher felt otherwise. "I remember Mrs. Collier telling me, ‘You will be such a great teacher someday,' and I laughed at her. It is not going to happen, but here Lam," he said.
Huss ended up starting as Ione Elementary School's janitor 30 years ago. He then spent 19 years there as a teacher and now is starting his first year as the school principal.
"I was really looking forward to teaching fifth grade again, and they reached out to me and said, ‘We think you're the leader the school needs.' "
Huss thinks his success comes from a push from family. He wanted to show his young son, who was 3 years old when Huss went back to school for teaching, that you can do anything you put your mind to.
Huss's co-worker Melanie Cortez was also once a student of the school. She said, "The kids aren't used to seeing him in the office, so we have kids come in all day long asking ‘Is Mr. Huss busy? We miss him so much!'"
For Huss, it's about the opportunity to change a child's life. "Believe in every child. I'm here to help them see themselves in a different light, because that's what people have done for me my whole life," he said. "I'm trying to help students believe in themselves that they can achieve great things if they just stay the course."
