Way to go, Mr. Williams
Every day, Walt Williams would eat lunch with the students of Voorhees Middle School. He’s going to miss that interaction the most.
After 40 years in the field of education, Walt Williams will surely not miss his 6 a.m. alarm clock each day, but he will greatly miss the students and staff at Voorhees Middle School.
Williams, 62, began his career as the very first guidance counselor in the Voorhees School District 32 years ago.
In 1988 Williams was responsible for developing a guidance program at the middle school where counselors followed each incoming class throughout their sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade years.
The process was intended to better acquaint guidance staff with the students in their schools.
In addition, Williams helped launch a volunteer student-to-student mentoring program about six years ago, where eighth-grade students work with new sixth-grade homerooms. The mentoring program aims to ease tensions between the grades and help students make the transition into the middle school as smooth as possible.
Williams said the best way to reach a student is by treating him or her with respect. “It’s important in middle school to build up a student’s confidence. They are beat down enough by their peers, and they need to know what they go through is normal and will get better,” he said.
Prior to his job at Voorhees, he taught kindergarten through sixth-grade students in the Newark School District for five years and was a guidance counselor in the district for three years.
Williams chose to follow a career in education after graduating from the University of Tampa with a degree in psychology and participating in the Urban Education Corps at Jersey City State College, now known as New Jersey City University.
He later earned his teaching certification and got a master’s degree in guidance from Newark State Teachers College, which is now known as Kean University.
Williams enjoys keeping in touch with students after they graduate and said a few return to say hello each year.
“I like to keep tabs on them. Some of them are in their thirties by now, and I still know them,” Williams said. “I really enjoy getting to know the students, watching them grow into young men and women and seeing them go off into the working world.”
Williams was inspired to become a guidance counselor after going through high school with a guidance counselor who students rarely saw. He wanted to be able to change that type of interaction with future generations.
The secret of Williams’ longevity in the field is keeping close contact with the students. Each day he visits with children in the cafeteria to check for upset students and to observe the way they get along.
Williams has counseled eighth-grade students on family, social, behavioral and academic issues.
“I enjoy working with kids because they are fun. Guidance is rewarding, but at this age we typically don’t see the fruits of our labor until they are in high school,” Williams said of students.
Williams, of Medford, plans to relax in his retirement. He has already mapped out an ambitious travel itinerary for the coming year, including stops in Maine, Vancouver and Costa Rica. In January, he and wife Elsa will celebrate their 36th wedding anniversary.
He has mixed feelings about leaving the school for the last time and is already missing the routine as the school year winds down.
“I will miss the kids and teachers a lot. Voorhees is a great place to work and [that] is reflected in that the only time people leave is when they retire. It will be a tough time leaving,” Williams said.
His word of advice to guidance counselors and educators is to love what they do. “Just to love your job. Education is not as easy as it sounds sometimes, but if you don’t love your world you ought to go someplace else,” he said.
School principal Charles Ronkin, who has worked with Williams for 32 years, said he is devoted to the students in the district. Whenever there was a tragedy in a child’s life, Williams would make an effort to personally visit the middle school student’s family.
“I think he has had the most impact of any person to go through here. The students and parents appreciate his dedication to them, not only in the school, but on a personal level,” Ronkin said.
Williams, 62, began his career as the very first guidance counselor in the Voorhees School District 32 years ago.
In 1988 Williams was responsible for developing a guidance program at the middle school where counselors followed each incoming class throughout their sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade years.
The process was intended to better acquaint guidance staff with the students in their schools.
In addition, Williams helped launch a volunteer student-to-student mentoring program about six years ago, where eighth-grade students work with new sixth-grade homerooms. The mentoring program aims to ease tensions between the grades and help students make the transition into the middle school as smooth as possible.
Williams said the best way to reach a student is by treating him or her with respect. “It’s important in middle school to build up a student’s confidence. They are beat down enough by their peers, and they need to know what they go through is normal and will get better,” he said.
Prior to his job at Voorhees, he taught kindergarten through sixth-grade students in the Newark School District for five years and was a guidance counselor in the district for three years.
Williams chose to follow a career in education after graduating from the University of Tampa with a degree in psychology and participating in the Urban Education Corps at Jersey City State College, now known as New Jersey City University.
He later earned his teaching certification and got a master’s degree in guidance from Newark State Teachers College, which is now known as Kean University.
Williams enjoys keeping in touch with students after they graduate and said a few return to say hello each year.
“I like to keep tabs on them. Some of them are in their thirties by now, and I still know them,” Williams said. “I really enjoy getting to know the students, watching them grow into young men and women and seeing them go off into the working world.”
Williams was inspired to become a guidance counselor after going through high school with a guidance counselor who students rarely saw. He wanted to be able to change that type of interaction with future generations.
The secret of Williams’ longevity in the field is keeping close contact with the students. Each day he visits with children in the cafeteria to check for upset students and to observe the way they get along.
Williams has counseled eighth-grade students on family, social, behavioral and academic issues.
“I enjoy working with kids because they are fun. Guidance is rewarding, but at this age we typically don’t see the fruits of our labor until they are in high school,” Williams said of students.
Williams, of Medford, plans to relax in his retirement. He has already mapped out an ambitious travel itinerary for the coming year, including stops in Maine, Vancouver and Costa Rica. In January, he and wife Elsa will celebrate their 36th wedding anniversary.
He has mixed feelings about leaving the school for the last time and is already missing the routine as the school year winds down.
“I will miss the kids and teachers a lot. Voorhees is a great place to work and [that] is reflected in that the only time people leave is when they retire. It will be a tough time leaving,” Williams said.
His word of advice to guidance counselors and educators is to love what they do. “Just to love your job. Education is not as easy as it sounds sometimes, but if you don’t love your world you ought to go someplace else,” he said.
School principal Charles Ronkin, who has worked with Williams for 32 years, said he is devoted to the students in the district. Whenever there was a tragedy in a child’s life, Williams would make an effort to personally visit the middle school student’s family.
“I think he has had the most impact of any person to go through here. The students and parents appreciate his dedication to them, not only in the school, but on a personal level,” Ronkin said.
