There are teachers who follow a curriculum, and then there are those who reshape it. For generations of students, Sue Herring unmistakably belonged to the latter.
After announcing plans to retire, the community came together to reflect on the teacher’s 50 years of impact.
Long before “student-centered learning” became a phrase in educational circles, Herring practiced it instinctively.
“I believe learning can take place only when children feel safe to take risks, are not worried about what they will face upon entering the classroom, and know that what they have to say is valued,” she said.
Ms. Herring didn’t just teach, and her classroom was never confined to four walls. Her lessons stretched into imagination, into risk, and into the fragile but transformative space where a child begins to see themselves differently.
Her passion for teaching, rooted in the belief that every voice matters, was sparked early.
“My career began at age 5 in the living room of my family’s home. My mother was a piano teacher, and I used her theory board to teach lessons to my phantom students,” she recalled.
Herring joined the staff at Wesley Prep in 2006.
“I never tire of watching children as they discover things about themselves and the thrill of mastering something they thought would be impossible,” she said.
After experiencing Herring’s classroom herself at Weatherford Elementary in 1982, decades later, Paige Farragut urged her to postpone retirement so her son could also be a student of the fifth-grade teacher at Wesley Prep.
“She was an unforgettable teacher then, and still is today,” said the Preston Hollow mom of two.
Herring’s former students remember both what they were taught and how they were made to feel.
“We read the newspaper each day, expanding our understanding of real-world and political issues — for many of us, it was the first time in our lives. We learned sign language to each song being sung in chapel that week, expanding cultural understanding, memory function, and communication skills,” said former student Elizabeth Moss.
“Never have I learned more from one teacher in my life,” said Moss.
“Uncertainty wasn’t a thing in Ms. Herring’s class,” said former student Zachary Habeeb, who graduated from college this month. “She always saw potential, encouraging us to take risks.”
“She held us to a high standard while allowing us to discover what we excelled in,” added Zachary’s brother Alex.
Literature came alive in Ms. Herring’s classroom, said Moss, as students portrayed historical figures brought to life during Night at the Museum and transformed into characters from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Weekends at Herring’s home extended her campus classroom into an atelier-like workshop. Characters converged with fabric and thread as she guided students through costume selections, recalled Moss.
Herring didn’t just assign roles, she revealed her students through them.
Timid pupils found themselves inhabiting characters with unexpected boldness, while those accustomed to certainty were guided into supporting roles.
Herring’s deeply intentional approach left a lasting imprint on parents as well.
“She has a gift for making each child feel seen and special, bringing out their gifts so the confidence seed is nurtured in a way that protects their fragile spirits as they are launched into ‘pre-teendom,’” said Preston Hollow’s Amy Dodson.
Cristina Young’s three sons each experienced the transcendence of Ms. Herring’s fifth grade class.
“The way she created a magical classroom experience and managed to instill a curiosity in them to think about their community, the world at large, and their impact role on it is priceless,” said Young.
For Herring, retirement is just another chapter in a lifetime of well-written pages.
“I strongly believe in the idea that education does not end when school is complete,” she said. “We are all students in this world and learning continues for the rest of your life.”
Herring’s students, whether readying themselves for middle school or graduating from college, carry with them a love of learning and an ability to trust their own voices.
“We mark Sue’s retirement knowing her legacy resists summary,” said Wesley Prep elementary director Lori Cousino. “But it lives in the thousands of transformations of students who learned what they could become. What she has built, year after year, child after child, is nothing short of extraordinary.”
Moss echoed the sentiment.
“Ms. Herring will always and forever be the most impactful, important, and special teacher I’ve ever had,” she said. “For the first time in my life, I remember feeling uniquely seen and singular.”
Author
