By Ed Karvoski Jr.,Contributing Writer
Photo/Ed Karvoski Jr.
Region – Linda Corbin commuted from Northborough to Hudson for 19 years when she worked as the principal of Hubert Kindergarten up to 2008. She's currently travelling that route again to instruct Zumba at the Hudson Senior Center.
“After spending so many years in the pursuit of intellectual growth, I decided to work on improving my health and getting a little more in shape,” she said with a laugh.
Corbin started attending various exercise classes nearly daily at a Northborough health club. Zumba immediately became her favorite.
Now a certified Zumba and group fitness instructor, she heard of the opening available at the Senior Center from Diane Durand, a former Hubert teacher and now a board member of the Hudson Council on Aging. Corbin began instructing there in February.
“I really don's consider these people seniors because they'se so youthful,” she commented. “They move so well and they'se game for just about anything.”
Prior to Hubert, Corbin taught special education in Lynn for nine years. When her husband's job relocated them to Northborough, Corbin was hired as the director of an education program for incarcerated adolescents on the grounds of Westborough State Hospital, where she worked for four years. Then she was hired by Hudson Public Schools.
Corbin has fond memories of her years as the town's kindergarten principal.
“I was so fortunate to have been hired in Hudson,” she said. “I worked with absolutely fabulous teachers. The children were wonderful and so excited about learning. At age 5, they think that their teachers and principal are rock stars! The parents were so supportive and appreciative of so many things that we did as a staff. And my fellow administrators were great – very funny, yet very professional and also supportive. It was really magic.”
She resigned from the Hudson school system in 2008.
“It was time for me to try something new,” she said. “I wanted to be able to go out on a high note.”
After a year out of the education environment, Corbin accepted the position of interim program director at Parker Road Preschool in Shrewsbury for the 2009-2010 school year.
“They would have liked me to stay for longer than a year, but I decided that it was a good time to actually retire,” she said.
More precisely, Corbin is now semiretired. She works as a special education consultant for the Shrewsbury Montessori School.
And she still manages to instruct Zumba in Hudson, where she has a special bond because of her years at Hubert.
“I knew so many more people in Hudson than in my own town of Northborough,” she noted. “When you'se an educator, you really almost feel as if you live in that town where your school is. Now, I have the time to get more involved in Northborough.”
She now volunteers as a tour guide at the Northborough Historical Society Museum for the elementary schools” field trips.
Corbin feels that Zumba is ideal exercise for any age with varying levels of experience.
“Zumba gets your heart and your body moving,” she said. “You can's make a misstep with Zumba. There aren's any wrong moves to make. You can alter it in a variety of ways to different fitness levels. Just move and have fun.”
She also sees parallels with instructing Zumba and her past work experience.
“A teacher really appreciates the ability to perform,” she said. “When I's doing Zumba, I realize that I's still performing.”
The 45-minute Zumba class is held Thursdays at 11 a.m. Cost is $10 for four classes. For information, call Marie at 978-568-9638.
