UCPS teacher, district lead custodian reflect on decades-long years of service
This month, as many as 127 UCPS employees will retire from the school district. Cumulatively, they’ve contributed 2,684 years of service as teachers, bus drivers, nurses, school nutrition services staff, custodians and more.
They each have played a vital role in the success of our students, staff and community, and UCPS thanks them for their commitment, dedication and service.
Keep reading to learn more about two of our retirees: a UCPS teacher who is retiring after 40 years in the classroom and the district lead custodian who will retire after two decades.
You can also click here to view the complete list of UCPS retirees.
Wesley Chapel Elementary teacher Diane Shumate taught her first classroom lesson 40 years ago. Since then, she estimates that she has taught at least 1,000 elementary students over the years – and even some of their children as well.
But after four decades in the classroom, which includes 25 years at Wesley Chapel Elementary, Shumate said she feels like now is the time for her to retire.
“I thought 40 years was a good number,” she said. “Teaching is such a part of who I am as a person so I don’t think that I will ever completely stop. In some way, I know I’ll always stay connected to education, perhaps as a tutor or a volunteer in the future.”
When asked if there was anything that she loved most about teaching, Shumate couldn’t immediately answer. She loved every part of it – prepping her classroom over the summer, welcoming students on the first day of school, preparing lesson plans and finding new ways for students to connect to the curriculum.
She’s definitely seen a lot of change over the years. Technology has grown leaps and bounds. Additional research into the way students learn has helped educators be more effective in helping students grow, and there’s been a shift over the years that encourages educators to work more collaboratively, she said.
“However, our children have remained the same. Curious children come to school with the desire to learn and that has never changed,” she said. “Also, families have always wanted the best for their children. That has never changed.”
Shumate said she was heartbroken this school year as the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in statewide school closures. During the past few months, she’s missed interacting with her young students and wanted to tell them good-bye in person.
However, if there’s one thing that she wishes her students will remember – and the nearly 1,000 children she’s taught over the course of her career – it’s the importance of being a lifelong learner.
“I hope that part of my legacy to my students can be for them to share a smile to make the world brighter,” she said. “I also want them to find the joy of knowledge and learn something new every day.”
Lisa Counsellor has been an integral part of UCPS district operations for two decades.
She’s worked in school nutrition services at Monroe High as well as a custodian at Porter Ridge High.
Today, she is the district’s lead custodian and trainer – a role that allows her to help run the annual UCPS Custodial Training Academy for more than 200 custodians throughout the district. It’s a job she enjoys as it allows her to help provide the district’s custodians with information about best practices, the importance of having strong technology skills and more.
“Many years back, people came into custodial services not expecting to use computers that often. Today, that is different and in any profession you’re going to have to know how to manage technology,” she said. “There’s so much that’s online now and everyone needs to have computer skills – whether that’s accessing forms with FMLA, managing time sheets or checking their ORBIT account. That’s why we offer this training to connect our custodians with the skills and information they need.”
Reflecting on her time in UCPS, Counsellor said she has wonderful memories both in school nutrition services and as a custodian.
“I started off at Monroe High and absolutely loved it. I’ve had nothing but wonderful experiences there. The kids are good and one thing that I’ve always said is that they will always treat you the way you treat them,” she said. “In training, we always say to be kind, be courteous and be helpful – and the students will do that for you.
Even so, Counsellor said she feels as if it is time for her to retire to spend more time with her family.
“The bulk of my decision to retire was to be more available to help with my grandchildren,” she said. “My children all came up in UCPS schools and now my grandson will be entering kindergarten in UCPS as well, and that means something to me. I want to be as active as I can be with my grandson’s school as I was with my daughters.”
When asked what she would miss most about her time in the district, Counsellor said it would be the relationships with her colleagues.
“I’ll miss the camaraderie with the team," she said. "We celebrated so much together – birthdays, holidays – and that’s important when working with a group of people. I will miss that the most."