“Consistency is key,” says Clara Hubert, and she should know. Hubert just finished her 45th year as a teacher in Midland ISD.

Hubert was recently honored with the Lifetime Educator Award at MISD’s Employee Service Awards Banquet.

A native of Crane, Hubert joined MISD when she started teaching in 1976, and spent the next four-and-a-half decades teaching mainly 3rd and 4th grade at Pease, Washington, Bowie, Santa Rita, Bonham, Milam, and the final 12 years of her career at Bush Elementary School.

She was hired by then-Pease Principal Mamie Williams, who Hubert calls her role model and mentor for shaping her educational career.

“Not only did she love kids, but she knew how to get the most out of them,” Hubert said of Williams. “That’s where I got my drive, my inspiration.”

Hubert says that the first day is key when it comes to achieving what she calls “everyday learning.”

“My advice to young teachers is to let them know what’s expected of them on that very first day of school,” she said. “And if they don’t know what to do you have to show them. Be consistent.”

The 72-year-old has decided to retire at the end of this school, meaning she won’t be there for her favorite time of the school year.

“It’s such a delight to see the kids when they come in for those first days and weeks of school,” she said. “They don’t know what to do! But it’s a pleasure to watch them grow as the year unfolds.”

Hubert plans to stay in Midland for the time being, and says she’ll spend her days delivering meals for Meals on Wheels and volunteering at the West Texas Food Bank.