Lillian Orlich: Six decades in education

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Lillian Orlich worked as a teacher and counselor for six decades in Prince William County.

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Manassas resident logged six decades in school system

EMILY SIDES info@insidenova.com

Manassas resident Lillian Orlich she was torn between being a teacher and a counselor in Prince William County Public Schools, where she began her six-decade long career in the 1950s.

At one point, she worked as both teacher and counselor until her principal told her she had to choose between the two.

“A teacher is always a counselor also,” said Orlich, 92. “I like the one-on-one [time]; that’s why I entered counseling, because each of us has diff erent needs and wants. Even when I talked to a group [of students], each person is diff erent.”

Th e New York City native taught American history and helped start Advanced Placement courses for students. Orlich fi nished her career as a counselor before she retired from Osbourn Park High School in 2017, according to the division.

“It’s a wonderful thing, both teaching and counseling,” she said. “Because there is never a dull day, and I mean to say never. Th ere is always excitement as a teacher.”

As a former counselor, Orlich said she feels a sense of victory aft er seeing many of her students grow up and pursue their own lives.

“I’m very proud of something he or she wanted to do,” she said about her former students. “It’s great to see a person set a goal, reach a goal and that was a plus for me.”

Mid-way through her career, Orlich was an assistant principal in New Jersey for three years.

“I enjoyed it, but not as much as teaching and counseling,” she said. “I wanted to be more involved in counseling.”

As long as she can remember, Orlich wanted to be a teacher. She fondly recalled playing a teacher as a child and directing her little sister to be her fi rst pupil.

“My mom knew I’d be a teacher,” Orlich said. “She said you’d been a teacher from the day you were born.”

Orlich said she loves Virginia, including its proximity to Washington and New York.

“It’s a historical place,” she said. “I loved every minute of it.”