Beloved Miami Beach school coach retiring after 44 years of educating

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. ā€“ A beloved South Florida coach is preparing for retirement after more than four decades on the job.

William Barron has been a staple at Miami Beachā€™s Feinberg-Fisher K-8 school and has taught a number of generations.

Monday was field day for Feinberg-Fisher first graders.

Leading the way in the battle of Team Red vs. Team Blue was Coach Barron.

ā€œThey make me laugh every day,ā€ he said. ā€œItā€™s been a great ride. I wouldnā€™t change it for anything.ā€

Barron will be missed by his students and his colleagues as well.

ā€œIn Coach Barronā€™s class, everybody is going to be moving for sure,ā€ said Feinberg-Fisher Principal Maria Costaa. ā€œIā€™m very happy for him, but for us itā€™s a very big loss. It really is.ā€

Those who have been in Barronā€™s class know why itā€™s such a big loss.

For former student Carmen Caicedo, itā€™s appreciation from three generations.

ā€œHe was my teacher in the 80s,ā€ she said.

Barron taught Caicedo, her daughter, and now her granddaughter.

ā€œWhatever you do, even if you mess up, itā€™s going to be fine,ā€ she said. ā€œHe teaches you that confidence.ā€

Fienberg-Fisher is where Barron met his wife, who has also been a teacher there for 35 years.

ā€œWhen you get out there, there is music playing. He does the exercises with the kids,ā€ Lisa Barron said.

The coupleā€™s daughter also teaches at Feinberg-Fisher now. Itā€™s a family passion that can be felt just by speaking to them.

ā€œHe really connects with the students,ā€ said Marissa Barron, the Barronā€™s daughter and third grade teacher at Feinberg-Fisher.

Back on the field Monday, it was the Blue Team that took the win, but losing Coach Barron is a loss for this community.


About the Author:

In January 2017, Hatzel Vela became the first local television journalist in the country to move to Cuba and cover the island from the inside. During his time living and working in Cuba, heĀ covered some of the most significant stories in a post-Fidel Castro Cuba.Ā