Words of Advice from Ms. Abbas

Elaine Abbas has tried to retire from teaching multiple times. But she’s never been able to leave for long. “I enjoy being around the young people, I learn so much from them all the time,” she said. Not only does Ms. Abbas learn much from students, but students can learn much from her.

Everyone at Walls knows Ms. Abbas. She’s the substitute teacher who always has something to share with students. Before Ms. Abbas joined the Walls community, she worked at Alice Deal Middle School as a math teacher for 30 years. Whether it be college advice or stories from her trips to Egypt, Ms. Abbas always has something valuable to say. She shared lessons that she has learned throughout her life.

Lesson #1: You can find your dream even in a profession that wasn’t your first choice … or second choice. Ms. Abbas wanted to travel the world from a young age, and in fact, she was ready to enlist in military service. When her parents rejected the idea, she answered, “Okay, I’ll be an airline stewardess.” However, her parents encouraged her to go to college first. Although teaching was not the first path she wanted to follow, it was one that she would soon come to love. Not only that, but she was able to travel the world through sponsoring school trips at Deal. “We went to London, Paris, Rome, [and] the South of France,” she boasted. “I enjoy traveling, but I love coming back home,” the substitute emphasized. Ms. Abbas ended up traveling as a teacher, without ever working as a stewardess or in the military. Point being, the life you want is in reach, but perhaps in ways you haven’t considered.

Lesson #2: Your dreams will change, and even change back. Heed their call. Earlier in her teaching career, Ms. Abbas left to work in research and development. “That was my first retirement from DCPS,” she joked. While she worked, she found that she wasn’t as happy as when she was surrounded by bright young people. She was happy to make the decision to come back to teaching. It is most important to chase your aspirations, even if it means backtracking or returning to something you’ve left. “Anytime I think I’m ready to retire … I have that desire to teach,” she concluded.

Lesson #3: Surround yourself with smarter people. As a substitute, Ms. Abbas often oversees groups of students who are learning a subject she might be a little rusty in. “In maintaining language classes, they taught me more than I taught them. I was studying every day to make sure I could give them something,” she explains. “Here I am, among all these smart, young people. You all don’t even realize it, but you give me so much,” she said. Ms. Abbas recalled a saying her mom used to tell her:“if you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.” It is advice that all Walls students can take to heart.

If you see a woman walking around school with chic outfits and an earnest smile, say “Hi” to Ms. Abbas. She has plenty of advice to offer, and is more than willing to learn from you as well.