PeopleAdmin celebrates Texas educator as part of Inspired2Educate program

Hays High School administrator shares how his teacher’s support made a difference in his life

Damon Adams, an assistant principal at Hays High School in Buda, Texas, told the story of how he carries on the legacy of his band teacher, Carolyn Herrington, who opened up her classroom so he could escape an abusive home and a non-friendly school environment, and encouraged him to believe in himself.
“The summer before I started sixth grade … I started over in a brand new school. At that point, my dad made the decision that he wasn’t going to work. Instead, he was going to stay home and drink alcohol, and the dynamics changed significantly to the point that it became very abusive,” Adams shared in his Inspired2Educate submission. “But Ms. Herrington became that teacher who, through love and care and compassion, always made me believe in myself when no one else did. I can honestly say without question that I wouldn’t be the man I am today if it were not for her influence.”
PeopleAdmin CEO Jack Blaha awarded Adams with a scholarship today at an assembly at Hays High School. Hays Consolidated Independent School District also received a scholarship.
“Unfortunately, too many students today still face hardships like Damon did, but Damon’s commitment to channeling those experiences into a career that serves K-12 students is something that we just can’t praise enough,” Blaha said. “Damon and Ms. Herrington are living examples of the incredible influence a teacher can have on a student and the snowball effect that follows: one dedicated teacher can directly impact thousands of lives.”
Inspired2Educate, a PeopleAdmin program begun in February, encourages current education professionals at all K-20 schools and grades — from kindergarten to Ph.D. programs — to nominate via video or in writing a teacher, administrator, or staff member who inspired them to start their careers in education.
Remembering the ways Ms. Herrington went above the call of duty — driving him to band practice, watching his concerts, driving him home — Adams says he didn’t recognize the significance of her influence on his life until he was an adult.
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“The reason I chose to go into education is because I realized, ‘if one person could have that kind of profound impact on my life, what kind of impact could I have on other kids’ lives?’” Adams said. “The example of what she did for me is a legacy that I want to leave as I work with kids every day, and while she may not know many kids in Texas, while she may not know students at Hays High School, she is touching lives there, because she touched my life.”
PeopleAdmin believes that effectively identifying, hiring and developing the right educators is key to ensuring academic success for the next generation. Inspired2Educate is PeopleAdmin’s way of recognizing some of those great educators and ensuring that our nation’s students get the education they deserve.
For more information about the Inspired2Educate program and details on how to participate, please visit www.PeopleAdmin.com/Inspired2Educate. Follow along with the latest conversation and updates by using the #Inspired2Educate hashtag on Twitter and Facebook.
About PeopleAdmin
PeopleAdmin is the leading provider of cloud-based talent management solutions for education. Its software enables customers to streamline the hiring process, onboard new employees, efficiently manage positions and employee performance, develop compliant and defensible audit trails, and utilize industry-leading reporting and data-driven predictive analytics. PeopleAdmin’s integrated talent management suite includes applicant tracking, faculty search committee management, position management, onboarding, performance management, professional development management and workforce planning, as well as a first-of-its-kind teacher candidate assessment tool created in partnership with a consortium of award-winning scholars, respected universities and research partners. PeopleAdmin solutions are rapidly deployed, easy to use and supported through a world-class customer service organization. Visit www.peopleadmin.com for more information.