HUDSON — After four decades in education, Hudson High special education teacher Rebecca Appel is retiring, closing a career that began in 1986 and impacted generations of students.
Appel joined Hudson High in 2008, but her work in education began years earlier. After graduating from college with a degree in elementary education, she taught remedial math and reading in Hudson in the mid-1980s. At the time, school funding was limited, and job security for new teachers was uncertain.
“For the first several years that you worked as a new teacher, you would get what was called a pink slip that they didn’t know if you would be hired back,” Appel said.
With several years of uncertainty, she decided she needed a more stable career path.
“After about two or three years of that, I was like, I’m out of college, I’m paying student loans, paying a car payment, paying rent, I need to find something that I know I can depend on,” she said.
A friend told her about an opening as an education coordinator in the juvenile system for the Department of Youth Services. She interviewed for the position, was hired and remained there for about 20 years.
“I worked in secure treatment facilities for both girls, and also the last part of my career was with the boys,” she said.
While working in the Department of Youth Services, Appel pursued her special education degree for middle and high school students. That decision eventually led her back to Hudson High in 2008.
Many things have changed in education over the decades.
“When I first started teaching, we didn’t have computers. We didn’t have cell phones. Many of my reports were done on a typewriter,” Appel said.
She acknowledged that the expectations of teachers have increased over the years as well.
“Teachers never feel like their work is done, ever,” she said.
Since returning in 2008, Appel said her greatest accomplishment has been creating a classroom environment where students feel supported.
“I want my students to feel seen, heard and respected,” she said.
Appel explained that teaching comes with challenges, particularly the reality that not every student can be reached.
“Teenagers carry a lot of weight with them,” she said. “It’s hard sometimes to accept that you’re not going to be able to reach every student. The hardest part is accepting that you can’t always fix everything.”
A Hudson native, Appel has deep roots in the community. She graduated from Hudson High School, as did her husband, mother and grandparents. Her daughters also attended the school, continuing a long family connection to the district.
“I’m a bit of a townie,” she said.
As she enters retirement alongside her husband, she said she looks forward to enjoying a less structured schedule.
“I’d like to travel internationally and spend more time with my family,” Appel said.
Still, she admits she may miss the daily routine and the relationships she built with students and coworkers. She also said she would not rule out returning to Hudson High in the future as a substitute teacher.
Looking back, some of her favorite moments come when students finally understand something that once seemed out of reach.
“That look on their face is like, ‘Wow, I didn’t think I could do this and now I can,’” she said. “That will always sit with me.”
In closing, she leaves her students and staff with this advice.
“Every day is a fresh start. Try not to carry the things that were bothering you the day before, and never lose your sense of humor.”
