Finley Teacher Lori Haggerty Eyes Retirement
She loves her job, but J. Taylor Finley Middle School teacher Lori Haggerty thinks it’s just about time to hang up her chalk stick and turn the lights out in her room for the last time.
The Huntington High School Class of 1979 member and longtime district teacher plans to retire at the end of June. Mrs. Haggerty studied at SUNY College at Buffalo, earning an undergraduate degree in special education and a master’s degree in reading.
Her first assignment was in inner-city Buffalo in 1983. Ms. Haggerty was on the faculty there for five years before deciding to move back to her hometown. She filled a leave replacement position at Stimson Junior High School in nearby South Huntington and then came back to the Huntington School District when a position opened at Finley following the promotion to the administrative ranks of special education teacher Vicki Mingin.
“I bleed Blue Devil blue,” Mrs. Haggerty said. A truer statement has never been uttered. The Finley teacher moved to Huntington in 1972, attending sixth grade at Woodhull Elementary School in teacher Anthony Barresi’s class.
She was just a sixth grader, but Mrs. Haggerty quickly began displaying the qualities that would later carry her through a long career as a professional educator. “I immediately started working with younger kids who struggled with reading,” she recalled earlier this week.
Mrs. Haggerty went on to attend J. Taylor Finley Junior High School for grades 7-9 and later Huntington High School, graduating with the Class of 1979. During her senior year, she spent afternoons volunteering in a Woodhull special education classroom.
The longtime educator has been at Finley for 27 years. It’s been a great run and has led to the intertwining of Mrs. Haggerty’s professional and personal lives. It won’t be easy for her to walk out of her classroom on her final day on the job.
“‘Funley’ since day one has been the most amazing place to work,” said Mrs. Haggerty, referring to the school by the affectionate name that teachers often use to indicate what a pleasant place Finley is. “There has always been a camaraderie amongst the staff that inevitably carries into positivity and enthusiasm in the classroom. Whether it’s ladies night at the movies, Christmas parties, Greenport summer play dates or even white water rafting, the staff at Finley finds plenty to do on the outside! I have made many lifelong friends here at Finley and hope to still maintain contact in the future.”
Even after nearly three decades as a teacher at the school, Mrs. Haggerty still brings her 20 year old son, Brian and nine year old daughter, Amy to Finley to spend one day each year with her. “I want them to see how important it is to truly love your profession and your colleagues,” she said. “They’ve grown up running down these hallways!”
She has never stopped growing as a teacher on her way to becoming a senior faculty member. “My advice to young teachers is to make sure that this is your passion,” Mrs. Haggerty said. “There are many hurdles to overcome and lots of bumps in the road, but if this is truly your calling you will know it and carry on despite such setbacks.”
Mrs. Haggerty said her retirement plans are still unfolding. Keeping up with her nine year old daughter “is a goal,” she said laughing. She might investigate working as a student teacher supervisor “or win the lottery and buy a food truck and make salads and smoothies at the beach.”
As a person’s career winds down they typically go through a range of emotions and Mrs. Haggerty is no different. Her daily routine will be undergoing dramatic change, but she is looking forward to the next stage of her life, content in the belief that she has made a difference in the lives of the Finley students she’s worked with.
“A few years ago I quoted Confucius and I’ll do it again,” Mrs. Haggerty said. “‘Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.’”