Despite spending much of her day in a classroom filled with the energetic swirl of fifteen eight- and nine-year-olds, there is a pervasive calmness about third grade teacher Stacy Hynes. Beneath that calmness that at once keeps both students and colleagues at ease is an unbelievably deep well of energy and enthusiasm.
Growing up as the middle child in the small town of Auburn, Maine, Mrs. Hynes knew by high school she wanted a broader experience of the world. “Boarding school seemed so glamourous...but my Dad said no to that,” she recalls. Luckily, her parents supported her interest in traveling to Sweden to spend her senior year on an exchange program. “They loved the idea that I would be able to learn a new culture and language.”
In the southern province of Malmö, Hynes lived with a Swedish family with three little girls and attended the public high school. “The hardest subject was history, since much of it was in their language, and it was Swedish history. My Swedish was pretty good by the end of the school year!” Hynes recalls witnessing world events that year from a unique non-American perspective: “That was the year the U.S. bombed Libya in April, and Chernobyl blew up. I didn’t even know about Chernobyl until my Dad called to ask if we were alright there in Sweden. The concern wasn’t immediate. It was an eye-opening experience to see the world from a totally different point of view.”
Hynes applied for college from Sweden: “My brother and I had asked my Dad ‘How far can we go?” and his answer was ‘within driving distance!’”. So off to Boston University she went for the first two years before Europe once again called to her, this year France for 6 months, afterwards transferring to Northeastern University to earn her degree in Political Science. Having worked in law firms during her college years, Hynes at one point considered law school, then moved to NYC for the practical pursuit of a job, ending up at an Information/Technology Research Company planning national meetings (“not my cup of tea, I was so bored!”). Thankfully, Mrs. Hynes landed at St. David’s school where she assisted the Head of the Lower School and taught small groups of boys in first and fourth grades.
Having realized that teaching was her passion, Hynes got her Masters/Teaching certificate (grades K-6) at Columbia, married her husband Ron, and taught 4th grade until her first baby (Ethan, an RA 5th grader) was born. For the next six years the Hynes’ family grew (next came Amelia, in RA’s 3rd grade, and finally Eliot, an RA first grader) and lived in California, Chicago, and outside Philadelphia...finally settling in Ridgefield.
Mrs. Hynes was first an assistant teacher in Grade 3 for one year, then moved into a Head teacher position in 2006. “I love Grades 3 through 5...I love the atmosphere with this age. There is so much content and so many great discussions we have as a class.”
Next year, Hynes moves into the Middle School division and will teach Grade 4: “I am so excited...it will be great to work with some of these students, and since we have been encouraging independence and responsibility all year, there will be even more we can do!”
She continues: “What I noticed immediately when I arrived at RA is that this school is always about the kids, and I know not all schools are like that. We (RA teachers) are always asking if what we are doing is the best thing for the students. Clearly all schools aim to educate, but they are not always so child-friendly. I love the hallway commotion at the start and finish of each school day. This is their place to grow and learn...and as an RA teacher and parent with three children here, I really feel that. The children at this school are happy to be here. I like that the administration like to have fun too sometimes. On April Fools Day, Mr. Heus cooked up this plan to hire a few third graders to wash the school with toothbrushes. The kids loved it!”
As for activities outside of school, Stacy spends early mornings at kick-boxing classes (“my favorite part is actually the boxing, it’s great to punch that bag at 6 a.m.!”) and is an avid skiier. “My dad would take us out of school for a day every now and then and ski with us for the day! I was an alpine racer in high school, and Ethan has just begun to race,” she tells us.
She also runs: “I’m not really competitive, but I do love to run in the Ridgefield races - Ridgefield Half Marathon, Turkey Trot, Run Like A Mother. I'm not even close to the top, I'm usually somewhere in the middle. Ron, Ethan and I run together in the 5K's usually. Ethan is now able to beat me if he's on his game!”
A lover of history, Hynes is also an enthusiastic reader with a delicious pile of books by her bed: “I read everything I can get my hands on, especially historical fiction, and biography, usually the heart-wrenching, compelling stories. I rarely watch TV or surf the web. I love all kinds of museums and luckily my family does too.” And lucky for us, Stacy Hynes has chosen to share much of that seemingly endless energy and passion for learning every day with our children.