We met with three OGEA members that will be retiring this year, and they answered some important questions for us: 1.) What are your plans for retirement?, 2.) What are your best memories, and 3.) What advice can you give to new teachers. Here are the responses we received:

Anne Cameron, Hayes, 2nd Grade Teacher

What are your plans for retirement?

I will be moving to South Dakota.

What are your best memories?

When I first began working in the Oak Grove School District, my first assignment was to teach preschool. At that time, there was a general education preschool class at Christopher and Stipe. Looking back on it, these young, 3-year-old children had never been to school before. When the school year started, the children were just learning how to sit and attend to short tasks. By the end of the school year, they had gained the skills they needed to move on to Kindergarten. They had learned to play games with simple rules, hold a writing utensil correctly, count to 10, and follow verbal directions. Watching their progress was extremely gratifying.

What advice can you give to new teachers?

Ask for help when you need it. Find someone that you feel comfortable with that you can go to when you need support, such as your teacher-induction mentor, a fellow colleague that went through or is going through induction with you, or a grade level team member.

Margaret Guerra, Hayes, 3rd Grade Teacher

What are your plans for retirement?

We bought a home in El Dorado, and I will be moving there with my husband. Other than that, I will be spending time with my eight grandchildren, traveling, relaxing, and catching up on sleep.

What are your best memories?

Most of my best memories came at the beginning of my career. I worked in the Edenvale community for nine years, and we had an extended family of teachers there that included Maripaz Berlin and Kellee Humphrey. I have so many fond memories of connecting with families in the community and singing at talent shows and assemblies.

What advice can you give to new teachers?

Don’t worry about doing everything. Whatever you don’t get done will still be there the next day. Remember that you are doing this for the kids, and it is such a rewarding job.

Christine Eldridge, Ledesma, 1st Grade Teacher

What are your plans for retirement?

I don’t have any specific plans for retirement other than the fact that I need to take some time to recover from the time spent teaching during a pandemic. I need to ease my brain. I like to read, paint (watercolor), and do crafty things in general.

What are your best memories?

I would say that my colleagues have been very supportive. I’ve been at Ledesma for 23 years, and a lot of people working at Ledesma have also been here for a long time. We have been through many changes in the District, including personal changes. We are very encouraging and supportive of one another, which is so important in the teaching profession. Another fond memory of working in the Oak Grove School District was Superintendent Manny Barbara’s leadership. He called me by name and would ask staff members, “Have you heard anything?” I knew he really wanted to hear. He would listen, respond, and be honest. I appreciated his dedication, and I felt comfortable talking to him. It was a very different situation compared to now. I truly appreciate his impact on this District.

What advice can you give to new teachers?

That their actions and choices are impacting others, no matter what it may feel like. There are days where you may feel like you are not making a difference. I’ve been here for so long. The other day, a child rode his bike past me and suddenly stopped because he recognized me. I had never had this child in my class, and I didn’t recognize him, but he recognized me from Ledesma. I made an impact on him even though he wasn’t a student of mine. Your impact can be for the good or for the bad. You get to choose what type of impact you will have on others.

Employee Wellness Committee