~Thyme to go Home, I Was a Teacher-Part 1 of 10, The Haven Years~
~Thyme to go Home, I Was a Teacher-Part 1 of 10, The Haven Years~
When you grow up as I did in a small Kansas town like Haven, you soon get used to the fact that most everyone there knows you by name. My parents owned the town's restaurant and filling station which was opened up for business in the spring of 1967. From the time I was 11 years old, townspeople got used to seeing the quiet little girl that I once was helping out behind the counter. Our parents taught us the value of hard work, customer service, and integrity as we took orders on guest checks, washed thousands of dishes, swept and mopped the floors, and took out the trash. There were times, and I readily admit it, that I thought the Scott kids must have been the most overworked children in the recent history of all mankind. While our friends were out having fun on Friday and Saturday nights, we were at the restaurant busy at work (and my mother might have added, staying out of trouble).
In retrospect how thankful I am that two hard working people named John and Lois Scott felt behooved of themselves to teach their children the value of an honest day's work. That acquired character trait has come in quite handy in the years that followed my childhood. I regret that I didn't thank them enough for what they taught all of us back then.
One person who noticed the work ethic that I was developing was the local school superintendent, a man who my family had known for many years. Harold Voth had been the superintendent for not only the students of Haven but also for the students of the nearby community of Burrton, Kansas in the years prior. My family had moved from Burrton to Haven during my 3rd grade year so Mr. Voth was already a well established fixture in our lives. In the springtime of 1979 as I was finishing up my last semester at Sterling College, I was approached by Mr. Voth right in front of the post office on Haven's Kansas Avenue. He didn't make much small talk in the conversation and got right to the point.
My first interview for a teaching position was complete in literally under 5 minutes. There was no background check, no application form to fill out with questions about my philosophy of teaching or how I would handle certain challenges in the classroom. There was no need for transcripts or character references because I had already been showing Mr. Voth for many years just what my character looked like. It happened on a Saturday morning on the main street of a small Kansas town with a well respected school superintendent who looked like he was getting ready to go mow at the farm, and a wide-eyed young woman who quickly said "Yes! I'd be glad to teach for you!" I said "yes" before I even knew what the position was. It didn't matter to me as long as I could teach for him in some capacity.
And so my life as a teacher began.
I spent my first four years as a Kansas educator in the very same building where I was raised up as a child not all that long before. My first two years found me teaching Title I math and reading to students who were struggling in grades 7 and 8. My classroom was in the old Haven High School building on the second floor. Not even eight years before, the very same classroom had belonged to Mr. Hayes who also taught his students math. I remembered sitting at a student's desk in the very room that I was now a teacher in during my freshman year when he taught the General Math class for those like me who struggled with Algebra. One of my nicest memories of that time was not how wonderful it was to understand how to figure out an algebraic equation, but rather how good it felt to have the fire escape door open and to feel the warm springtime breeze blow in upon us all. Strange the things you can remember, especially as we grow older. Memories tucked deep inside of us are precious ones to have and remember.
I honestly don't remember everything about how those first years went. 40 years ago is a long time but the things that I do recall will probably always be with me. There was no technology back then to assist us in all that we did. My room in the old high school building was the only one being used at that time and as such I was on my own there. There was no intercom to call the office if I needed help, and I remember that if I had to contact the office in any way, a student would be dispatched to head over to the grade school building with a message. There was no dry erase board or Promethean board, simply a chalkboard with an endless supply of sticks of chalk and an eraser. We didn't realize that in the future things might be better, allowing it to be easier for us to do our jobs.
All we knew was what we had at the time.
I found out I was pregnant with my first child that start up year of teaching and that the baby would be born in October of my 2nd school year at Haven. I was still teaching in the old building so I was getting plenty of exercise each day as I went up and down those stairs to the second floor. I knew that I would continue to teach right up until the end before my son's birth in October of 1980. I prayed every day to make it because I didn't want to have to use any more sick leave than necessary before he arrived. On the morning of his due date, I got up and headed out the door as usual but didn't make it past noontime. My principal, a dear man named Mr. Boston, had told me many times that he didn't want to be delivering any baby at school. The minute I told him that I thought it was time, he sent me home right away. 14 hours later, I became a mother.
The school term of 1981-82 offered me the chance to move into the elementary building when I accepted the switch to being a first grade teacher. It was a wonderful chance for me to spend time at the grade level I had done my student teaching at. For the next two years, I was one of two first grade classroom teachers there. My love of teaching was cemented in stone during those early years. There was not going to be any turning around and going back by the time the third year in the classroom came about. I never once said to myself,
I would devote the rest of my life to being a teacher.
~to be continued in part 2~
~Haven 1st Graders in 1982 as we celebrated the "birthday" of Kansas~
We had so much fun that day as we dressed up like children would have in 1861.
When you grow up as I did in a small Kansas town like Haven, you soon get used to the fact that most everyone there knows you by name. My parents owned the town's restaurant and filling station which was opened up for business in the spring of 1967. From the time I was 11 years old, townspeople got used to seeing the quiet little girl that I once was helping out behind the counter. Our parents taught us the value of hard work, customer service, and integrity as we took orders on guest checks, washed thousands of dishes, swept and mopped the floors, and took out the trash. There were times, and I readily admit it, that I thought the Scott kids must have been the most overworked children in the recent history of all mankind. While our friends were out having fun on Friday and Saturday nights, we were at the restaurant busy at work (and my mother might have added, staying out of trouble).
In retrospect how thankful I am that two hard working people named John and Lois Scott felt behooved of themselves to teach their children the value of an honest day's work. That acquired character trait has come in quite handy in the years that followed my childhood. I regret that I didn't thank them enough for what they taught all of us back then.
One person who noticed the work ethic that I was developing was the local school superintendent, a man who my family had known for many years. Harold Voth had been the superintendent for not only the students of Haven but also for the students of the nearby community of Burrton, Kansas in the years prior. My family had moved from Burrton to Haven during my 3rd grade year so Mr. Voth was already a well established fixture in our lives. In the springtime of 1979 as I was finishing up my last semester at Sterling College, I was approached by Mr. Voth right in front of the post office on Haven's Kansas Avenue. He didn't make much small talk in the conversation and got right to the point.
"Peggy, I see that you are graduating in May. I've got a teaching position that I'd like to offer you if you are interested in taking it."That was it. In two simple sentences, a man whom I had greatly admired all of my life, believed in me enough to give me my start in a career that was to end up being my life's vocation.
My first interview for a teaching position was complete in literally under 5 minutes. There was no background check, no application form to fill out with questions about my philosophy of teaching or how I would handle certain challenges in the classroom. There was no need for transcripts or character references because I had already been showing Mr. Voth for many years just what my character looked like. It happened on a Saturday morning on the main street of a small Kansas town with a well respected school superintendent who looked like he was getting ready to go mow at the farm, and a wide-eyed young woman who quickly said "Yes! I'd be glad to teach for you!" I said "yes" before I even knew what the position was. It didn't matter to me as long as I could teach for him in some capacity.
And so my life as a teacher began.
I spent my first four years as a Kansas educator in the very same building where I was raised up as a child not all that long before. My first two years found me teaching Title I math and reading to students who were struggling in grades 7 and 8. My classroom was in the old Haven High School building on the second floor. Not even eight years before, the very same classroom had belonged to Mr. Hayes who also taught his students math. I remembered sitting at a student's desk in the very room that I was now a teacher in during my freshman year when he taught the General Math class for those like me who struggled with Algebra. One of my nicest memories of that time was not how wonderful it was to understand how to figure out an algebraic equation, but rather how good it felt to have the fire escape door open and to feel the warm springtime breeze blow in upon us all. Strange the things you can remember, especially as we grow older. Memories tucked deep inside of us are precious ones to have and remember.
I honestly don't remember everything about how those first years went. 40 years ago is a long time but the things that I do recall will probably always be with me. There was no technology back then to assist us in all that we did. My room in the old high school building was the only one being used at that time and as such I was on my own there. There was no intercom to call the office if I needed help, and I remember that if I had to contact the office in any way, a student would be dispatched to head over to the grade school building with a message. There was no dry erase board or Promethean board, simply a chalkboard with an endless supply of sticks of chalk and an eraser. We didn't realize that in the future things might be better, allowing it to be easier for us to do our jobs.
All we knew was what we had at the time.
I found out I was pregnant with my first child that start up year of teaching and that the baby would be born in October of my 2nd school year at Haven. I was still teaching in the old building so I was getting plenty of exercise each day as I went up and down those stairs to the second floor. I knew that I would continue to teach right up until the end before my son's birth in October of 1980. I prayed every day to make it because I didn't want to have to use any more sick leave than necessary before he arrived. On the morning of his due date, I got up and headed out the door as usual but didn't make it past noontime. My principal, a dear man named Mr. Boston, had told me many times that he didn't want to be delivering any baby at school. The minute I told him that I thought it was time, he sent me home right away. 14 hours later, I became a mother.
The school term of 1981-82 offered me the chance to move into the elementary building when I accepted the switch to being a first grade teacher. It was a wonderful chance for me to spend time at the grade level I had done my student teaching at. For the next two years, I was one of two first grade classroom teachers there. My love of teaching was cemented in stone during those early years. There was not going to be any turning around and going back by the time the third year in the classroom came about. I never once said to myself,
"Geesch, what did I get myself into here? Is this what I really want to be doing?"By the time my fourth year at Haven was completed, I knew one thing for sure.
I would devote the rest of my life to being a teacher.
~to be continued in part 2~
Christmas of 2009~These four sweet "little ones" were once my students in the first grade at Haven Grade School. It was my first time to see them since I was their teacher. They had not changed a bit.
Christmas time of 2011~This brother and sister were among the very first students I had as a teacher. Amy was my very first one! Their dear and kind momma, Jan, was one of my very first teacher conference participants back in that first year. They surprised me one Christmas with the gift of a record player because they knew I had all sorts of record albums that couldn't be listened to any longer because I had nothing to play them on. I still have that record player!
~Haven 1st Graders in 1982 as we celebrated the "birthday" of Kansas~
We had so much fun that day as we dressed up like children would have in 1861.
Comments
Post a Comment