Melissa Hoover, an experienced English teacher, is now in her third year at Hamilton High School, part of Hamilton Community Schools. After spending 20 years in a nearby district, Hoover made the difficult decision to leave the familiarity of her long-standing role to join the Hamilton community. This year, she is also instructing the new AP Seminar course, which is the latest addition to Hamilton High School's Advanced Placement lineup.
Hoover credits Hamilton High School Assistant Principal David Sheppard as a major influence in her decision to make the move. “I had worked with him in my previous district for a few years, and I really enjoyed working with him,” she said. “When he called and said there was an opportunity for me here, I spent a significant amount of time thinking about it because I had been in my previous district since 2005 and thought I would retire there. I spent a few weeks thinking about whether it was the best thing for my family and where I was at in my career.”
The decision wasn’t made lightly. Hoover shared that while vacationing with her parents, she sought their wisdom about the potential career change. “At the end, we thought it might be a good move to come to Hamilton,” she reflected.
Transitioning to a new district after two decades brought unique challenges. “It was different because it’s not like I was a young teacher right out of college,” Hoover said. “I was pretty set in my ways and how to do things, and trying to bring that into a new district and still be the teacher that the kids needed took me a little bit to figure out.”
Despite the initial adjustment period, Hoover has found her footing at Hamilton, thanks to the district’s supportive environment and staff members. “I’ve always told people that Hamilton is like this well-oiled machine,” she said. “If I need something, I know where to find it and who to go to. There is no mystery of where to find things. That has been really surprising actually how well things are run. Mitch Bosch and David Sheppard have been very helpful and supportive since I’ve come here. It really has started to feel like home.”
Hoover’s teaching philosophy centers around empowering her students to share their voices. “I really have a big philosophy about more voices, more often,” she explained. “I struggled with that my first year here; I felt like it was all me talking and not hearing much from my students. But once I became more comfortable, my students became more comfortable, and they began having a bigger voice. I felt like I was home again. For me, the heart of teaching is always the student, and I’ve gotten back to that. I’ve figured out what I needed to do for them.”
