OGEA Retirees!
Retirees answer three questions:
1.What are your plans during retirement?
2.What are your best memories?
3. What advice can you give to new teachers?
Joan Enns
After 42 years of practicing speech-language pathology, I figure that if I don’t know it now, I might as well retire! I’m planning to spend my time riding my horse, Magi, learning to drink wine, setting up my mini farm, volunteering, kayaking, sitting under my wisteria covered pergola, playing with my granddaughter, and living my life to the fullest in Murphys, CA. Goodbye OGSD, Hello retirement!!
Julie Federman
Plans: For the first time in my life I have no plans other than moving to a new home near Monterey. I will take hikes and explore the area. As a teacher, I'm sure I'll come up with some plans for giving. We will be near CSUMB and plenty of English learners.
Best Memories: I absolutely love working to create a kind community of diverse little learners year after year. No two years are ever the same. I have taught many first and second graders to read! Children’s literature and teaching kids to read and write is fun and challenging. In addition, our District’s focus on equity has been important to me. I appreciate the trainers and mentors who helped me develop teaching strategies as well as the empathy and understanding to engage all of our students.
The highlight of my career was teaching SEAL at Miner as a demonstration site. SEAL embodies the equity strategies I had learned and brought Common Core Social Studies and Next Generation Science Standards back into our Title I classrooms. SEAL strategies and units created much more enthusiasm, collaboration, creativity and engaging
content for our young learners.
Also, as a teacher, I have made lifelong friends and have been inspired by so many terrific children, colleagues and families.
Stay focused on what’s most important about your job-those individual students in your classroom. Make teaching fun for you and ultimately for your students. Don’t start trying to teach until you’ve earned/commanded their respect and fine tuned your classroom management skills! Be sincere/honest with your students. Connect somehow with each student.
Advice to new teachers: Remember to observe and listen to the kids. They really can lead you to better teaching practices. Also, try to see and bring out the best in every one of them. (Let their little lights shine!) I rely on multiple intelligence theory to bring out the genius in each student while also ensuring that they have scaffolds in place to try and practice other
necessary skills. Don’t try to do this job alone. We are interdependent. I haven’t met many who can be self-reliant as a teacher - at any stage in their career. We all have our strengths but we need each other. Collaboration and friendships make the teaching journey a lot more fun. However, don’t forget to take time for radical self- care. Serving so many can zap your own light. You need to do what helps you shine on too.
And on butterfly release day, beware of crows!
Kathy Morgan
Plans: The first year I plan to explore my new community of Roseville, CA. I will be in search of independent bookstores and wineries in the area. These pursuits will naturally lead to hours and hours of leisurely reading with perhaps a glass of lovely Zin or Pinot Noir at day’s end.
After that, I am thinking I might work with ELL college students at Sac State. Or perhaps I will volunteer at a library in the children’s section. I feel like I should work for the Democratic Party to get folks over to my way of thinking!
Best memories: Without hesitation, I feel that the equity training provided by the District opened my eyes and heart both as an educator and as a citizen. It afforded me to rediscover my passion for teaching and to part of a movement comprised of educators who valued ALL children and worked like the devil to honor and accelerate those who had been in the shadows. As my career comes to a close, I will forever remember the poetry recitals by my classes over the years for their parents as well as the magic of reading aloud to “my” kids. Caring communities were created in the classroom because of poetry and books. And celebrating the arts throughout the years – whether music, or painting, or writing – was an enormous source of joy for me.
Kim Kauffman
Plans:Traveling here (US), there (Ireland 2020), traveling, traveling everywhere (while I’m healthy). Getting my running, biking and swimming routines back on track. Spending time with wife and grandkids (5 year old/ 5 month old boy/girl) along with enjoying my love of gardening and playing with training my chocolate lab Bella.
Best memories:
Dressing up as Abe Lincoln, a mailman, biologist, vet, doctor, and firefighter while teaching SEAL units of study. I loved establishing lifelong relationships with my amazing peers, who unselfishly shared their time and ideas, mentoring me to be my best. Love, love, loved, being a teaching OGSD!
Advice to new teachers: Stay focused on what’s most important about your job-those individual students in your classroom. Make teaching fun for you and ultimately for your students. Don’t start trying to teach until you’ve earned/commanded their respect and fine tuned your classroom management skills! Be sincere/honest with your students. Connect somehow with each student.
Teri Burke
Plans: Taking short trips and day trips with grandkids. Perhaps Davis and Sacramento, and hopefully Disneyland.
Best memories: The first year Teri started teaching in OGSD was right after 9/11. That year, Teri developed a connection with a student. For his sixth grade promotion he wore a suit and brought balloons. He moved to Boulder Creek the following year and still stayed connected with Teri.
Advice to new teachers: Don’t take students with behaviors, personally. Try to share personal stories with your students to help develop a connection with them.