TOWAMENCIN- Ms. Amy Schwartz has always found humor in her days in education, and as the junior home office assistant principal retires on March 3rd, her career as an educator and an administrator, one full of rewards, laughter, and indelible memories will leave a lasting mark in the North Penn School District.

Having a sense of humor is an important aspect of having a fulfilling career to Schwartz. Over the years, Schwartz shared many laughs with her former boss Mr. Burt Hynes.

“My former boss, Mr. Hynes, and I would sit and laugh for many hours over the funny things that happen in school, the funny things that kids do, teachers do. We had a lot of laughs over the years. I’ve always found humor in what I do, and that’s one of the reasons why I enjoy what I do,” declared Schwartz.

A graduate of Temple University, Schwartz began working immediately out of college in the North Penn School District. After spending a couple years at Pennfield, Schwartz moved to Penndale where she taught English and directed the school musicals. When she received her administrative certification, she started as an assistant principal at Penndale and was in that position for three years before getting moved to the high school where she has spent the last thirteen years as an assistant principal.

For Schwartz, pursuing a career in the educational field was always a viable option. She comes from a family of teachers and was influenced by them to follow that path. Combining that with her own appreciation for kids and learning, becoming a teacher was a fitting career for her.

“Everybody who I can recall has either been a teacher in my family or had their degree to teach, so I knew that that was something that was a possibility for me. And I’ve always liked kids. I’ve always liked learning things, so education was a good fit for me,” explained Schwartz.

Throughout her career as a teacher, Schwartz’s favorite part was the interactions and meetings she was able to have with kids. Along with that, she loved the subject she taught: English.

“My favorite part of being a teacher was that I loved kids. I loved to have conversations with them and see how they thought. I also loved English and how the English language can be so expressive. I appreciated famous authors and famous, classic works. All that fit together to make teaching a really positive thing for me,” said Schwartz.

An especially proud part of Schwartz’s career was having the responsibility and privilege of directing the Penndale school musicals, a job she took on while being a teacher there. Spending months putting a show together, working with talented kids, and seeing it all come together in the end as a performance will always be a memory for the kids and everyone involved was a part of Schwartz’s career that never failed to make her proud, and is something that she will always carry with her.

“I worked so hard putting [the musicals] together and they were such a community event. Everyone came to see it. I was always so proud of the final product and what the kids could do after all that work. They were just fifteen years old and they acted like stars, and I gave them a moment on stage that they could remember for the rest of their lives. That was always so important to me. I was so proud every time we had a performance of something we had worked so hard on for so many months,” conveyed Schwartz.

During one particular musical, a week before the performance, the lead of the show was playing softball, and when he slid into second base, he got a compound fracture of his leg. The star of the show, now in a wheelchair, wasn’t able to stand, let alone perform.

“Looking back on it, it was funny. At the time it was pretty scary. But we muddled our way through it and everything turned out okay,” Schwartz remembered.

After spending twenty two years in the classroom, Schwartz decided to take a step in her career and move toward a job with an administrative focus. The decision was one that made sense for her, because she had always excelled at managing and planning, and would be able to utilize those skills while still interacting with kids.

“I’ve always been a good manager and a good organizer too,” explained Schwartz. “So I thought maybe it would be time to go more into the administrative side of things where I could still relate to kids and see kids all the time, and yet do that management kind of work.”

Before stepping into an assistant principal position, Schwartz had already gathered skills and experience of managing and directing children. These abilities came from her ten years running a private children’s camp in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania.

“I knew how to put together a program and administration was a way I could use those skills,” she said.

Schwartz ran the camp during the summertime until the camp got so big and grew to house about four hundred campers. At that point, the job shifted from merely a summer job to more of a commitment.

“It got so big that I had to choose between education and camping so I gave up the camp and I stayed in education,” explained Schwartz.

The proudest part of being an administrator for Schwartz has been simply the way she can connect to kids and use that relation to help them in whatever way possible, an opportunity she’s had everyday at work.

“As an administrator, I’ve always been proud of the way I can talk to kids and maybe help them to modify their behavior or think about their future or think about the way they can relate to other people,” stated Schwartz.

Whether it’s laughing over something or having someone as support during a tough time, the relationship between Schwartz and her colleagues is what she will miss most about North Penn. The connections and bonds she has built over the years are ones she has appreciated throughout her career, and leaving that daily atmosphere is what she will miss the most, and also what scares her about retiring.

“I will miss the people who I work with. Some people go to work, and they tolerate it. They go because they have to; they go because they need the money. I am fortunate because I get to come in and be surrounded by people who make me laugh and care about me. It’s like a family here at work, and not everybody has that. I appreciate that every single day and I never take it for granted. And that’s what I’ll miss the most because that whole support system behind me, I won’t have anymore, and that’s kind of scary,” explained Schwartz.

A forty year career brought a new change in the last two years for Schwartz. For the first time in her life, she worked for somebody new when Mr. Todd Bauer became principal. Schwartz is grateful for having the chance to work with him and although they didn’t spend much time together, she admits he was “the icing on the cake of my career.”

“I think that Mr. Bauer is the bomb. He made me feel valued. He made me feel special and trusted me as an administrator. And I will always be grateful for the time that I’ve worked with him,” expressed Schwartz.

To begin her retirement, Schwartz will be embarking on a seven day celebratory cruise with her family to Bermuda. She also plans on joining the Y and taking care of herself and her health. In addition, Schwartz is excited to explore the possibility of having a part time job for the first time in her life. Because of working for forty years, Schwartz had never had time for a part time job as a sales girl, a waitress, or even a babysitter. She hopes after returning from Bermuda, she’ll be able to try that for the first time.

“I would like to have a part time job to structure my day because it can be scary waking up and not having anything to do. And I’ve never had that. I’ve worked for forty years. I would like to do something retail, in sales somewhere. I would like to do that kind of stuff, because I want to, not because I have to,” Schwartz explained.

A career in both education and administration has taught Schwartz that the core of being the best educator possible and getting the most fulfilling experience out of working in an educational or administrative field stems from a genuine appreciation for the words and thoughts of kids.

“I think that anybody who has a career in either education or administration needs to love and appreciate kids. I think the heart of what we do has to start from there. Because if you’re in education, you can’t help but smile at the things young people do and say and the hope they hold for the future. It’s all very uplifting and I really think that is a joy that every educator should experience. If you go into education because you know you have your summers off or you know it’s a easy road ahead of you then you’re misguided because you don’t get to be a richer person in your heart unless you really appreciate the people you’re working with, and those are the kids.”

As Schwartz’s career in education and administration comes to a close this week, she will be missed by colleagues and students alike who all wish her the best in her retirement.

“Ms. Schwartz is the consummate professional and comes to work each day eager to do her job well. She cares for her colleagues as if they are family and her love of NPHS is clear in all that she does. I will miss her sense of humor each day, but know our friendship will continue to grow. It has been my pleasure to work with Ms. Schwartz during my time at NPHS. We all wish her a long, happy, and healthy retirement,” shared Bauer.