Life is indeed full of unexpected twists and turns. It was a pleasant surprise for a 55-year-old man to become the elementary principal of the same school where he once worked as a janitor.
Years ago, Mike Huss was a janitor mopping the halls of Ione Elementary School in Ione, a small city about 41 miles southeast of Sacramento. With hard work and diligence, Mike passed and became a school teacher. In a twist of fate, Mike found himself as the principal of the same school he once cleaned.
The humbling experience became an inspiration to many about how dedication can greatly impact our careers. Despite the praise and admiration, Mike said he is blessed but he didn’t do anything special at all.
He told Good Morning America, “I am blessed. I truly am and I don’t do anything special. I just show up and work hard. I show up and try my best.”
According to Mike, being a principal was really not part of his career plan. He became the school janitor because he didn’t want to pursue higher education and wanted his wife, Karen, to go to college instead. But their plans changed when the couple had their first child. Mike wanted to show his son that you can do more in life.
“When my son was about 3, I said, ‘You know what? I want to show my son that you can keep growing in life.’ I know he was young but between the encouragement from the teachers on campus and the motivation to do something to show my son that nothing’s impossible, I went back to school in the late ’90s to get my teaching credential based on those inspirations,” he shared.
Mike reflected on his journey and said he wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. As a school janitor, he learned the value of hard work. Now that he’s working as a school principal, Mike has learned to be more compassionate to teachers and students.
“School is a wonderful place to be because of the kids,” he said on ABC News.
