Boston’s kindergarteners had their first day of school at Nathan Hale Elementary on Monday, just like longtime educator and current chair of the Boston School Committee member Jeri Robinson did back in 1954. And she was on hand in case anyone needed a hug.
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The Boston School Committee's chair person helped kindergarteners on their first day of school Monday — 70 years after she started kindergarten at the very same school.
Jeri Robinson remembers her first day at Hale Elementary School clearly — and credits it as the spark that led to her decades-long career in education.
"I remember going home on the very first day, telling my mother, 'I know what I'm going to be when I grow up — I'm going to be a kindergarten teacher,'" Robinson said. "And it really did launch my career."
Robinson went on to have a career in education spanning more than 40 years, including work at Boston Public Schools and at the Boston Children's Museum.
She has since retired from teaching and from her post at the museum, but returns to the Hale school annually to help the new students on their first day "to be there in case anyone needs a hug."
"I think the kids and the families that go to this school, and to most of our Boston Public Schools are fortunate when they have teachers and school leaders that care about them in every way," Robinson said. "Not just their academics, but who they are as people."
Robinson remembers her school having limited resources while she was growing up. There was no lacking, however, in caring and dedicated teachers, she said, giving her enough inspiration to last a lifetime.
Seventy years later, Robinson is helping to carry on that legacy to Boston's youngest students, who are just beginning their journey.
"We were a community that said everyone counts," she said. "And everybody helps each other. And so that’s the best of what you can get of any kind of education, but that’s what I got here at the Hale."
