Mary Holland, 60, left a career as an attorney in commercial law to teach in the Manchester paralegal program 13 years ago. The West Hartford resident holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Connecticut and a J.D. from the University of Connecticut Law School. In retirement she is looking forward to spending time with her family, including parents in their 90s, three adult children and two grandbabies.
Q: What do you teach here?
A: I am the paralegal coordinator, which means I sort of oversee the paralegal program throughout the campus and I advise students, I, prior to consolidation when we were just Manchester, I was in charge of ensuring ABA [American Bar Association] compliance. I’ve taught various classes, legal research and writing, litigation…I’m teaching contract law this semester. I also teach in the business department, which has a class called Legal Environment of Business, which most people think of as a business law class, that all of (to my knowledge) the business students have to take whatever their primary area of focus is, so I teach that class as well.
Q: How did you end up coming to Manchester?
A: So, so many years ago when my oldest child, who’s my daughter, was little, I wanted to stop working as an attorney so I could spend time with her, and a friend said ‘oh you should look at teaching at the community colleges, see if there’s a paralegal program.’ And so I reached out to the person who was the program coordinator way back then and she just happened to have a class that she needed to fill. So I started teaching as an adjunct, and I taught as an adjunct for many years…and then I had three children, and then I was not an adjunct for a while, I went back to practicing law. And then I came back as an adjunct and my first semester back the person who was the program coordinator said to me ‘I’m actually going to be retiring, and they’re going be posting my job.’ And I was very, very interested so I applied for the job, and I was fortunate enough to get it.
Q: So now that you’re kind of at the end of teaching, looking back at your whole career here, do you have any favorite story?
A: I’d have to really think about that and I honestly don’t know that I would have ONE favorite story. I do have certain stories or relationships that pertain to students over the years that inspire me and have just been really, I’m not sure even how to phrase it. You know, I think of these students and I think of certain things I’ve learned from them or situations that they’ve gone through or look at where they are now in life, having gone through their program and they’re just very inspiring, they’re heartwarming, they give me the feeling that we’ve done something good in the world. But I don’t know that it would be one story, I think there’s probably a lot of good stories and all tied to the students.
Q: Would you say that teaching here has helped you grow in any personal ways?
A: I would, yes, I would. I would say that it’s helped me grow in many ways. I think of teaching, in the ideal sense, in the best sense (or maybe it’s education), as a relationship. A give and take. It’s not about me being the only one giving and I think that is a notion that some people who haven’t taught have, and I don’t think that it’s a healthy notion. So I think I’ve certainly learned, if I didn’t understand that before starting as a full time, I think I saw hints of that when I taught as an adjunct, I really fully see how, I guess I’d say a bigger table? And inviting everyone to that table and everyone at the table being allowed to bring their full experience, whether it’s their upbringing, or their professional life or challenges that they’ve had, or the valuable things they bring from their own culture. Allowing that to be part of the give and take, the exchange just creates this really fertile ground I think for a great class experience. So I have absolutely learned that from my students. That includes subject matter, like in business law they may tell me something, and I’m like oh I didn’t know that! About the topic that I teach! And then other times it’s things like life lessons, like it’s really hard not to be inspired by our students. I think if you were to come here as a teacher and you remain uninspired by the students, there’s a chip missing in you.
Q: Is there anything you feel like you say to your students, semester after semester, every time, the same advice?
A: Well, one of them would be what I just said, which is that I learn from you, which I’m sure they’re like ‘yeah right,’ but I do. You know, when I see growth, when a student meets with me and they’re challenged, I try to say ‘you know… look what you did, you came to meet with me, that’s brave, and you’re doing your best,’ and sometimes you go through… I was saying to someone yesterday, we all have seasons in our lives, some are easier than others and you’re getting through it.
Q: Do you have any plans for what you’re going to do after you retire?
A: So, I have a three-year-old grandson, who I love. He’s probably among my favorite people to spend time with. And my daughter, who is his mother, just had her second baby last week. So I’m looking forward to more flexibility to spend time with them, I love to spend time with my husband, and he will still be working full time, but at least I’ll have more flexibility. I have three young adult kids, I have a daughter and my son in law and their kids, and then I have two sons who live up in Boston, so I warned them they’d be seeing a lot more of me! But I will pay for lunch! And then I just, I come from a very big family, I have six siblings, and I’m very blessed that my parents are still alive and well in their nineties, they’re still super fun to be with, and my in laws… So I just have a lot of family that I’m looking forward to having more time to spend with them. At some point I would like to find a meaningful volunteer opportunity, I’ve thought about, I have a neighbor who helps people study for the citizenship exam through the Hartford public library. I feel like someone who takes that test probably knows more than your average American. Because you always hear about how people who were born citizens would fail that test. So that’s a thought I’ve had, I’d like to find something meaningful. I will be teaching one class as an adjunct so I’m kind of easing my way out. I would miss my students very, very much. I will sincerely miss my colleagues. I have wonderful, wonderful… I cannot say enough about my colleagues, like when I first came here, I came from a law firm, and the collegiality, the kindness, the diversity… all a gift, an incredible gift.
