Howard Pauchnik is a retired educator and coach based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His career shows what long-term success can look like when you stay consistent, do the daily work, and commit to serving a community.
Howard grew up in Weirton, West Virginia. He graduated from Brooke High School in 1976. He later earned a bachelor degree of education from Fairmont State College in 1981. In college, he was on the track team and ran hurdles, a sport that rewards focus, timing, and steady improvement.
He built his professional life in schools. He taught history and coached basketball at Steubenville Central High School. Later, he taught history and coached both basketball and baseball at Mount St Mary’s High School in Oklahoma City. He also taught history and coached basketball and baseball at Putnam West High School in Oklahoma City.
Outside of school, Howard has been an avid golfer since college. He competed in amateur golf tournaments across Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Florida. That competitive outlet stayed with him for decades and reflects the same habits that show up in education and coaching: practice, patience, and learning from results.
Today, Howard’s story is a simple one, but it carries weight. He spent years building routines, showing up for students, and leading teams through seasons of effort and change.
When you think about success, what comes to mind first?
Consistency. That is the word I come back to. I taught history and coached sports for years, and those jobs reward people who show up prepared and steady. Success is not one big moment. It is a long line of small decisions that you stick with.
You were a hurdler in college. Did that shape how you approached work?
Yes. Hurdles teach you timing and control. You cannot rush your steps and expect it to go well. You have to practise the same movements until they are reliable. That carried into my work in schools. You build routines. You repeat the basics. You keep working on small details.
What did teaching history teach you about building a strong career?
History is about patterns. Cause and effect. What happens first, and what happens after. In a classroom, I saw how habits added up. The student who stayed organised usually improved over time. The student who did not, struggled more.
For me, it was the same. Planning matters. Staying clear on what you need to do that day matters. A career is built in weeks and years, not in one good day.
Coaching basketball and baseball can be demanding. What did those roles teach you about leadership?
Leadership has to be practical. In high school sports, you are working with teenagers. They are learning. They are also balancing school and everything else. So you keep things simple and consistent.
I coached basketball at Steubenville Central High School while teaching history. Later, in Oklahoma City, I coached basketball and baseball at Mount St Mary’s High School and Putnam West High School. The setting changed, but the work stayed similar. You prepare, you practise, and you try to get the group moving in the same direction.
What habits helped you stay successful over a long career?
Routine. I treated the week like a system. In teaching, that means planning ahead. In coaching, that means building practices that repeat the fundamentals.
I also believe in using the calendar. Break big goals into smaller ones. That fits schools well, since everything runs on semesters and seasons. It also keeps you from feeling overwhelmed.
You competed in amateur golf tournaments in several states. What did golf teach you about success?
Golf is honest. You cannot hide from your own mistakes. If you rush, you pay for it. If you lose focus, you see it right away.
I have been an avid golfer since college, and I competed in tournaments in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Florida. That kind of competition teaches patience. It also teaches you to keep showing up even when you do not have your best day.
If someone asked you for a simple “success system,” what would it be?
I would keep it basic.
First, pick a path you can stay with. For me, that was education and coaching.
Second, build repeatable routines. Do not rely on motivation.
Third, track your effort. In golf you can track scores. In school you can track progress by weeks. If you do not measure anything, you drift.
Fourth, do the fundamentals until they are automatic. That is true in hurdles, basketball, baseball, and golf. It is also true in careers.
What does success look like to you now?
It looks like finishing what you start and being able to point to years of steady work. I am retired now, and I look back on a career spent teaching history and coaching. That is a life built around commitment.
And I still value the same things I valued earlier: practise, patience, and the willingness to keep improving.
If you want, I can also write a version of the Q&A that stays strictly inside the facts you provided, with no invented details at all.