A Well Deserved Retirement for Ms. Deborah Hom

By Michael Biggiani

Beloved teacher Deborah Hom dreamed of becoming an educator since she was in the fourth grade.  She fulfilled that dream and has successfully taught hundreds of students since becoming a teacher in 1979.  After deciding it was time to pursue her many other interests, Deborah Hom announced her retirement from teaching at Oyster Bay High School. Her teaching career at the Oyster Bay-East Norwich CSD, which started in in 1993, is coming to an end.  

After obtaining her bachelor’s degree from St. Joseph’s College and her Master’s Degree in Special Education from Michigan State University, Ms. Hom had a stint of teaching in East Lansing, Michigan.  Ms. Hom moved to Long Island and started her career in our district as a leave replacement teacher at Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School. Soon thereafter, she became a full time faculty member at Oyster Bay High School.  During her tenure, Ms. Hom has been a jack of all trades, having taught almost every single academic subject, at every single grade level at our school.

​Ms. Hom’s students will always remember her as a caring teacher, one with whom it was always easy to communicate. She helped them succeed with their school work and helped them obtain jobs after their high school graduation.  

In reflecting on her career at Oyster Bay High School, Ms. Hom stated, “I have made many friends in the district and will miss my colleagues and students.”  She credits her colleagues for helping her become a better teacher. “I learned so many things from the other teachers and colleagues I worked with over the years here.”  Ms. Hom chose not to single out any one memorable experience because as she aptly said, “I have had so many.” 

​She made so many friends in the district, and when describing the administration and the faculty, Hom stated, “They are always willing to help, all you need to do is ask.”  

When asked why she chose to retire this year, Ms. Hom said, “It seemed like a good time and there is a lot of stuff I want to do.”  She wants to spend more time traveling, reading, walking in parks and visiting her siblings. Two vacation spots she is looking forward to visiting are the countries of Iceland and Costa Rica. Hom is also looking forward to doing more volunteer work.  

Needless to say, Oyster Bay High School is losing an excellent teacher. Deborah Hom will be remembered as an educator who thoroughly enjoyed interacting with her students and who took the time to get to know them. She will leave behind her a legacy of high achieving students. The administration, faculty members and students, will without question, sorely miss Deborah Hom.