Just ahead of the new school year, Waynesville R-VI Superintendent Mrs. Hilary Bales sits down for a personal, honest, and insightful conversation. We discuss what she loves about serving the community and what lies ahead for students and parents. Plus, as the overseer of a school district with more than 6,000 students and 1,000 staff, Mrs. Bales tells us what sometimes keeps her awake at night.
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This episode has been brought to you by Nexthome Team Ellis, Security Bank of Pulaski County, TK’s Pizza of St. Robert, and Sugarcreek Farms.
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Thank you for joining me for another episode of the Fort Not Lost in the Woods Podcast. I have one of the busiest ladies on Earth. At least I imagine your job to be and your life to be one of the busiest on Earth. I have Waynesville School Superintendent, Waynesville R6 School Superintendent, Miss Hillary Bales. Thank you so much for taking time to do this.
Hillary: Thank you for having me.
Marv: I have so many questions. Um, first, I and I know I’ve had you on before and I was trying to remember if, and I think we kind of went into a little bit about how you ended up here, but tell me where are you from and how did you end up in this area if you are not from this area? ‘Cause I really don’t remember if we talked about it before.
Hillary: I you know, I don’t, I don’t know either. Um, well, I am originally from Indiana. I graduated high school from Valparaiso, Indiana. It’s uh, northwest, just about an hour and 15 minutes outside of Chicago. Um, and I spent my summers here though in Missouri, in Richland, uh, my great grandparents live there. And so we would come back every summer and see them. Uh, so when I graduated from college, um, I decided to come and I was just going to teach for a year or two and then maybe move back home. Uh, but here I stay and have loved every bit of it.
Marv: Awesome. How big was the city that you’re from?
Hillary: It was large. I mean, my graduating class from high school was 550.
Marv: Gotcha. What did you love? You said you decided to come back to Richland and, you know, teach for a while. What did you love about this area or what drew you here initially?
Hillary: I think just wonderful childhood memories of coming and visiting and, um, just really always enjoyed it. I, uh, was visiting one time and volunteered at the school passing out milk, uh, at lunch. And so, you know, David Lawson was the principal at the time and, uh, really enjoyed spending time with him and I think that was another thing. I felt comfortable and it felt like home.
Marv: So, you, that’s what I was going to ask you, so being in that school setting just kind of always felt like, okay, this is home. Is that right?
Hillary: Yeah. Yeah. So I knew I always wanted to be a special education teacher from a young age. And so, um, you know, I when it was a no-brainer for me when I went to school, I had a friend that had a, uh, sibling that had Cerebral Palsy and I would spend time playing with her and just loved her so much. Her name was Sammy. Uh, and she really touched my life. She ended up passing away, um, at four from pneumonia. And so, um, the year after that, they started a program at my high school where you could give up your study hall to go work with students with special needs and take them to specials and things. So I did that and just knew that’s what I wanted to do, um, in honor of her and, and have made a career of it and loved every minute of it.
Marv: So how many years ago was it that you first got into your your first teaching job?
Hillary: So I started back here in 2001. This will be my 26th year in education. Um, but my whole career has been here in Waynesville.
Marv: Wow. That is amazing. Okay, so how have things changed? Just the way things in education have changed, things in the world have changed. What are some of the biggest changes that you’ve seen over the years that you can think of as far as, you know, education wise, but maybe just, well, here’s a here’s an example from my point of view. So I have a grandson that’s autistic and I will say even 10 years ago, I really didn’t know what that was. And what I did think I knew was completely wrong. You know, now that I have him in my life, I I see that that was totally wrong. When he was first diagnosed with that, which he’s seven now, so it was probably been maybe five years ago. Even in that five years, I have noticed a shift, thank goodness, in the way people view people that are, I’m using air quotes, different because aren’t we all different? And, you know, or special needs or however you want to word that. But just might not be the same as you. I’ve noticed a a good shift in the way people view that and think about those people. So I’m wondering if there’s that same type of thing when it comes to education and and not just special needs children. I’m just talking about in general. You had to have seen a whole lot of things shift and change attitude wise, education wise in your career.
Hillary: Yeah, I think, you know, it it continues to shift, we continue to evolve. Um, the needs of society are different than they were 20 years ago. And so, um, you know, as you know better, you kind of do better and you learn and people develop new tools and strategies and so we continue to educate ourselves to provide the best that we can for our students. But, um, I don’t think I think if I stop learning or you know, it’s time to go. It’s time to retire, right? Because you just always have to continue uh to better your craft because you’re dealing with people. You’re dealing with kids. And, uh, there’s just nothing more special and precious than that. So you just have to keep, you know, working at it. And we don’t always get everything right in education, but you got to just keep trying.
Marv: What is your um, so as the superintendent, I I can’t imagine the weight that’s on your shoulders. How many students do we have in the district approximately?
Hillary: About uh, 6,100.
Marv: That made my heart stop for a second. So, what do you worry about at night? That’s what I want to know. What does Mrs. Bales worry about at night? When you wake up in the middle of the night, I wake up thinking, oh, I hope I edited that podcast, okay. You wake up with a whole lot more on your plate than that. So what what keeps you awake at night?
Hillary: You know, I think, uh, first and foremost, it’s just safety. Uh, you know, student safety and that keeps me up at night. And, um, you know, we we train and we do, we put everything we can in place, but there are just some things out of our control. And I think, uh, that is just something that is a huge, uh, weight. Um, and you know, I I’m just continually thinking about what we need to be doing to improve the experience for our kids, whether it be through learning, through programs, through social emotional support. What what is it that we we don’t have that we need to help kids. And, um, so just always trying to learn, steal from other places, you know?
Marv: The best ideas are stolen ones, right?
Hillary: collaborate with our team just to try to figure out what it is that we need to be doing that we’re not doing. And so that just never shuts off. It’s just constantly, um, you know, in the back of my mind always always going.
Marv: You mentioned your team. So how many employees does the district have?
Hillary: We have a thousand employees. Yeah.
Marv: There goes my heart again. I can’t imagine. Well, you sounds like you have a big team and my kids have been grown for some time but like I said, I do have grandchildren in Fort. I’ve seen it’s just a very highly thought of district. And and I know there’s always, you know, those people that like to talk online and things like that. But in the circles that I run in, it’s very highly thought of. It’s considered quite a privilege to be a student or the parent of a student in the Waynesville School District. And I think, Hillary, in large part that’s to you. What about your your predecessor? What kind of lessons did Brian teach you before he left that you can, you know, that you still carry with you because I’m sure just doing the job on your own, that’s a whole another thing and you’ve probably learned lots of new things. But do you feel like you were pretty prepared for it?
Hillary: In some ways, yes. Uh, as far as institutional knowledge and being here and kind of knowing the inner workings of the district and, um, having held different positions throughout the district, I do feel like that has been beneficial to me in relating to staff, uh, across the district. I don’t know that you’re ever prepared for the enormity of the job or the demands of the job, but I do feel like Brian was really honest with me about, about, you know, what that all entailed. And, you know, just encouraging me to, he would say things like, Hillary, if you don’t do it, somebody else, you know, is. And so, uh, why not you, you know, why not you? And so he appreciated my concern and love for this community and district and and continued to encourage me to to move forward. But yeah, no, he was very honest and candid, uh, with with some of the things. And, you know, overall, this job, it’s wonderful. But there are parts of it that are really hard. And, um, I also feel really honored to get to be able to serve the district in that way and to try to help and problem solve through, you know, some of the situations where things maybe didn’t go as we had wished.
Marv: Do you con this is a really off the wall question, but do you consider yourself to be brave? And let me tell you, I’ll let you think about that for a second while I’m telling you why I asked that. Because I’ve had over the years, I’ve had people quite a like just the other day even. You should run for office. I’m like, um, yeah, right. The and because you you think, oh, I want to make a change. I want to help people. I want to. And so people say things like that. But when I look at all the negativity online and all the meanness and how it it is so focused on sometimes people that are out there putting themselves out there doing this good work, trying at least to do this good work. People can be so mean spirited. And so as you’re sitting here talking and you’re telling me you have a thousand employees and you’re telling me you have, you know, 6,000 students and all this. I’m just thinking, this woman is so brave. And not only that, but you you put yourself out there to where, okay, if you cancel school because of weather, you’re a horrible human. If you don’t cancel school, you’re a horrible human that doesn’t care about humankind. If you’re, you know, it’s like in some ways there’s there’s no way to do the right thing. So I think that you are a very brave person. And I feel like you’re just so inspirational. Do you feel that way? Like, do you think, wow, I mean, do you ever stop and think, wow, I really put myself out there, either what’s wrong with me or or I’m a really brave lady.
Hillary: I do not consider myself brave. I I feel responsibility. And that’s really like deep in who I am, a responsibility to the kids, a responsibility to our staff, a responsibility to our community, uh, to try to make it better than it was yesterday. You know, as far as putting myself out there, I think sometimes I’ll just tell myself, well, if they’re picking on me, they’re leaving somebody else alone. And some days, I think that just has to be enough. You know, people know me, but my family and my close friends know me, know me, right? And so those are the people’s who opinions really matter. And it’s not that I’m not listening or not hearing or that, um, I don’t accept some feedback, uh, in in order to make myself better. But when it comes to things like who I am as a person and what I value, those who know me really really know me. And and there’s comfort in that, you know, that when it’s hard or when people are making these just off the wall assumptions about you, my family knows me and my friends know me. And and my colleagues, my team, you know, they know me. And you know, there’s comfort in that. So you just have to keep moving forward and anybody who really wants help or really wants to have a conversation will call and make an appointment. Um, I just don’t really feel like you go to social media for help, you know? And and so, and that’s okay. I’m not, there’s a place for it and I think venting’s great, like, do what you need to do. Um, but if you really want help, call me, let’s sit down, we’ll, we can certainly talk about it or try to find a solution.
Marv: I love that so much. You’re so you’re such an inspiration. You mentioned your family and your close friends. Tell me about your family. You’re a mom, right?
Hillary: I am, a mom of four.
Marv: Four?
Hillary: Yeah, I have four kids. Um, I have twin boys that are in high school. They’re’ll be sophomores this year. Uh, I have a eighth grade daughter and then I have a third grade son. So I have quite the age span.
Marv: What is it like for their for them, for their mother to be the superintendent? I can’t imagine.
Hillary: It’s hard. You know, it’s hard on them. I, you know, and I hate that. That’s the that’s a thing that, um, you know, they didn’t sign up for this, I did, right? And.
Marv: But I’ll bet you that they are learning lessons that they will use their whole life and I’ll bet you this is a really good thing. It just may not feel like it at times. You know what I mean?
Hillary: I think overall it’s been great and our staff is great at understanding the complexity of it and things. But just, you know, just like any kid that goes to school, sometimes people can be mean, right? And so my kids are not, you know, um, they experience those things too. So, uh, you know, growing up is hard. And so, you know, it it just kind of is what it is and we have to work through these things. If it’s if it’s not this, it’s something else and and I know, you know, what my kids experience aren’t much different than what other kids experience. So you just have to keep trying to teach them, you know, the right way to handle situations and, um, you know, they make mistakes too and and learn from them. Just like any other, uh, parent and kid relationship, right?
Marv: Yeah. Yeah. Wow. So, we’re going to talk in just a a few minutes about the upcoming school year when it starts, all the things that are kind of underway now, what parents need to know, that kind of stuff. But I’ve always wondered, what does the superintendent do in the summer? Are you still headed to the school every day? Are you working from home? Are you taking any time off? Like, what are you doing this summer? I need to know this.
Hillary: Yeah, so, no. I go to work every day.
Marv: I figured, I figured.
Hillary: It’s like the day after school ends, we start gearing up for the next school year and there’s a lot of preparation. Uh, we did take a week vacation, you know, as a family, which was really nice. I I do a little bit of traveling for some of the boards, military impacted schools association, Impact Aid and do some of of that work in the summer, which is nice that school’s not in session. So I can go and and take care of those things as well. So, you know, do a lot of learning, work on getting school set up and things ready for uh staff and students to come back. Uh and then, uh, a week vacation, which is nice.
Marv: Well, I’m glad you got to take a week vacation. It’s really important. I tell myself that. I don’t do it often enough. And every time I do, I think, why don’t I do this more often? But sometimes it feels like getting things organized to go on vacation is more work than actually, you know, just staying behind and not going on vacation.
Hillary: For sure. The laundry.
Marv: Yeah, no kidding. Well, we’re going to take a quick break, be right back with our Waynesville R6 Superintendent of Schools, Hillary Bales. I appreciate her so much for taking time to do this. We’ll be talking with her more in just a moment.
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Back with Mrs. Hillary Bales. I’m so happy to have you in studio today and the school year starts back up August 24th, 24th. Which this episode is going to drop tomorrow, which is the fourth. So we’ve got 20 days. What do those 20 days look like for you? What do they look like for, um, the teachers and people getting everything prepared?
Hillary: Yeah, that’s that’s a great question. So right now we’re uh, wrapping up kind of those last minute cleaning, flooring types things. We do have um, some projects going on throughout the district. So wrappin’ that up. Before I came here, I actually was uh welcoming back our secretaries who uh, today is their first day of their contracted day and they are getting ready to engage in some learning and training. Uh, so greeted them back and then we will have our new teachers here shortly and, uh, then then all staff in preparation for our meet the teacher nights and first day of school.
Marv: I remember as a student what it was like, the first day of school was like, a little bit nerve-wracking, a little bit exciting. You lay out your clothes the night before, all that stuff. What’s it like for teachers and for you, but but you remember also what it was like for teachers to meet your new students and all of that. How’s how does that work for a teachers? It feel that same excitement and nervousness or no?
Hillary: Oh, yeah, definitely. I think there, you know, new teachers are great cause they’re really, you know, nervous and and they’re kind of drinking from the fire hose, receiving a lot of training. But they are so excited. And, you know, that kind of excitement and energy is catching, right? So it just it just filters to everybody. Myself included when when we go welcome them back. But I think teachers aren’t much different than students. We all have our back to school routines and rituals that we do, you know, maybe a new pair of tennis shoes or or some new office supplies, who knows, you know, but uh everybody is excited and and you know, you can feel it even today when I was with the secretaries that they’re excited to be back. A break is good to recharge, but we get lonely without staff and students in the district over the summer. So looking forward to having all those people back and and enjoying this school year.
Marv: On the flip side of that, what is the end of the school year like? I’m sure it’s sort of a relief like, oh, I think I would get so attached to students, especially the ones that I felt needed a little extra care and a little extra love. And I would worry about them. Does that happen? Do you think, oh, what’s going to happen with this child, you know?
Hillary: Oh, yeah. Oh yeah. We certainly do. It’s exciting. We we are excited for our seniors who are going off to do these really great things. And so it’s like bittersweet, you know? Uh, we have staff that retire after a long great careers and relationships with us, you know, and that’s that’s kind of, you know, again bittersweet, excited for them to take this next chapter. They’ve earned it, my goodness. But, uh, you know, we miss them. And so I think, you know, that is kind of, uh, part of it, the highs and the lows of, um, ending, you know, a year and then, you know, starting to shift and beginning a new. But all of those feelings and and I think we hold space for both, right? Two things can be true at the same time. Right. So, yeah.
Marv: What’s the most challenging part of your job?
Hillary: Hmm. You know, I think, um, probably the most challenging part of my my job is just knowing that no matter what, we’re never going to please everybody, right? And so, um, just kind of reconciling that and trying to listen and take in, you know, to consideration people’s feelings, board policy, um, past precedents, all of these things that we have to consider, you know, that’s hard it weighs on you and it’s hard to juggle sometimes.
Marv: This is a personal question, you might not, it’s a career related question, but it’s kind of a personal question that I like to find out from highly successful people, which I feel like you are just one of the best and the best to look up to. Do you ever suffer from impostor syndrome? Where you’re just like, can I, can I do this job? Am I in the right job? These people are trusting me and I don’t know if I can do this and because I know I’m always surprised when I find highly successful people that from the outside, they are the total package and they’ve got everything going on and then you find out that they still have those little doubts sometimes in themselves. Do you ever suffer from that?
Hillary: Oh, sure.
Marv: Really?
Hillary: Yeah, I think, yeah, I think everybody does. If they’re being really honest with themselves.
Marv: I don’t know. Yeah, maybe. I’d never asked anyone that. I had a conversation with a really successful guy that is a businessman. We were just talking about business and he brought it up that he has impostor syndrome. And I had never heard a man say that. I’d always thought of that as a woman’s thing for some reason. And I’m like, wait, what did you just say? And then it we had this whole great conversation about it and I realized, I wonder how many people really do have those, you know, have that.
Hillary: You know, I just I’ve always been this way. After every interaction, decision, I kind of do like this after action. What should I have done differently? What could I have been, you know, done better? Oh, I was a little disappointed in myself here, you know, I maybe let my emotions get the best of me, you know. So that is something that I do personally and we do as a team, you know, after action. What can we learn from it? Even when things go really well, right? There’s still lessons to be learned from those experiences. And I think you’re cutting yourself short if you don’t take a minute to kind of reflect on that and think, okay, what could I do, you know, have done better, um, next time?
Marv: Yeah, exactly. I think that’s so important. And it’s so important for people to learn to kind of look at themselves and their performance or their behavior or whatever it may be and go, I might have done that a little better. Or, yay me, I did great. You know, that’s equally as important, I think. So tell me what the first day of school is like? How is it different from say the hundredth day of school? You know, I mean, what what is the first day like?
Hillary: Yeah. Well, you mentioned brave. I, you know, to me those kindergartners getting off that school bus for the very first time are brave.
Marv: And their parents.
Hillary: Yes, I mean, oh, there’s nothing more like I can remember being an elementary principal and just being in awe of them as.
Marv: Those itty bitty babies.
Hillary: Yes, they’re little. And then to go into the cafeteria and carry that tray and do all the things, I mean, just imagine that, you know, I I just I find them to be incredibly brave and inspirational.
Marv: That’s such a sweet thought. That that makes me think back to a picture I came across not too long ago of my son, who’s in his 30s now. And his first day and he was so itty bitty and I have a picture of him stepping up on the first step, which was almost too high for him to step up on the bus, turning around waving at me with this big smile on his face, but tears in his eyes because he was so scared and it just made me my heart just like, oh, my poor little baby. You’re right. There’s a bazillion of ’em and they’re so brave.
Hillary: Yeah. They are. They are. Oh, and they’re so sweet. But, um, so you know, just we welcome students back. We have our Pie Partners from Fort Leonard Wood that come and help greet kids and they help, uh, get the children to their classes because, you know, some people are brand new, never have been in the school. So they help guide them to their classes and do that kind of thing. And then we just work on a lot of procedures and, uh, getting to know you activities so that students can get familiar with their, you know, new teachers and get familiar with their schedules if you’re a secondary student and, uh, and then everybody’s really exhausted by the end of that that first day. And usually it’s really hot and and, uh, you know, the buses and getting everybody on where they need to go and working out the kinks and then that second day, it feels like a big weight’s been lifted off. And we make those, we like make those little corrections and it goes so much smoother.
Marv: Where’s the best place for parents to find information because it seems like there’s so many different things and people can look here or there or listen to this or that. But really, I mean, to get the best information of the, you know, the dates that the school is out or the things that you need to sign up for or just all of the things, where’s the best place they can go?
Hillary: Our district Facebook page puts out a lot of information there. Um, I would always direct people to our website. There’s a lot of really good information on there. I do though recognize sometimes websites can feel overwhelming. So I encourage anybody, if you’re poking around for more than 10 minutes, just call and let us help you. Like, don’t get frustrated. Just call. Um, you know, we’ll help you find the information that you need.
Marv: I love that. If you’re poking or that that’s going to be my motto in life for so many things. If you’re poking around for more than 10 minutes, just call.
Hillary: Just call and ask for help.
Marv: Just call. Well, I asked you three things people might be surprised to learn about you. So I have not read these yet. So you’re from Indiana. Yes, I was surprised to learn that. You may have told me that before, but I don’t remember that. You worked at an oil change business when in high school. What did you do? Were you what did you do there? So, please tell me you changed the oil.
Hillary: So I did help. What? Yes, I did help.
Marv: You’re so pretty and so like sweet. I can’t even imagine you just in that car changing that oil.
Hillary: Well, my dad encouraged me to go and get a job and he said to me, Hillary, no man’s going to take advantage of you. You need to learn about cars. And you need to you need to, um, know these things. You need to have a basic understanding. And so I did and I ended up working there for a long time. I loved it. I ran the register. I helped change the oil, vacuumed out, filled the tires, looked at the S-bolts and, and, I get, I you know, I got some, you know, air filters, learned about the air filters. So I got, you know, a little bit of knowledge about cars and, uh, loved the team that I worked with. We had a great time.
Marv: So when you take your car to get an oil change and someone says, I’m sure now everyone knows who you are, but when they see this beautiful woman walk in and they think, well, then they say to you, well, it looks like your car’s going to need this, this and this. You can say, uh, no. I know what’s up.
Hillary: It has been helpful. It has been helpful.
Marv: I bet it has. I asked you your favorite thing about the Pulaski County and surrounding area and you said the people. I hear that a lot. Tell me, tell me what you feel about the people is so special.
Hillary: We are truly a community, right? So we support our schools, we support each other, we support Fort Leonard Wood and our the soldiers here. When there’s a need, we always rise to filling that need. We sometimes I think forget it’s not like this every place else. And that’s why, you know, it’s really nice to have some of our military staff and and soldiers share that with us, you know, that when they’re in other communities, they don’t feel this sense of camaraderie and support. And, you know, we have a unique situation where Waynesville, St. Robert, and Fort Leonard Wood all working together to make this area thrive. And I think it’s just a really a unique and special place and the people here just make it amazing.
Marv: Very well said. And so true. I didn’t realize either that other places weren’t really like this until I would hear it repeatedly, mostly from service members and their families and you start to think, wow, we’re really in a special place. And I love it. I love it here. All right, before you leave.
Hillary: Okay.
Marv: And I hope you don’t get this, I’m going to have to change my board because it must be must be heavy or something on one side because everyone keeps getting the same thing. Although I started to say I hope you can read my writing, but you’re used to kids, you’ll be all right.
Hillary: We’ll figure, we’ll figure it out. We’ll decipher it.
Marv: What are you What are you currently worried about?
Hillary: What am I currently worried about?
Marv: Most of us have something at some point that we’re just really, it’s really on our mind. We’re really worried about it. What’s yours?
Hillary: You know, I think, uh, one thing I’m currently worried about is what will happen, uh, with these upcoming elections and the impact that it will have on public education. And that’s in the back of my mind is, you know, we start heading into, you know, to tomorrow. So, you know, go vote. But I think, you know, that’s something that’s always weighing heavy on my mind and something again that as superintendent, I have a responsibility for. And then just making sure we have everything ready to go for, you know, school. But I, you know, we still have 20 days for that. So I’m not too worried about that yet. I know we’re we’re going to get there.
Marv: Yeah. Thank you so much again for doing this and for all the work and love especially that you put into the district because when you see somebody doing some big things for the right reasons, it makes me so happy when I see that. It could be starting a business or having a a very, um, important career like you have and and they went into that for the right reasons. And I feel that with you. I feel like that’s why you did this and I think that makes all the difference. So thank you for your service to this community and for taking the time to do this today. I really appreciate it.
Hillary: Well, thank you so much for having me. Always enjoy our talks.
This episode of the Fort Not Lost in the Woods Podcast is sponsored by Security Bank of Pulaski County. Next Home Team Ellis, TK’s Pizza and St. Robert, and Sugar Creek Farms, your home for farm fresh pork products. The views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Oakwin Media, its hosts, affiliates, or sponsors. Content is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. Thank you for listening.