BEATRICE - Not only was it an unusual end to the school year, with the coronavirus wiping out the fourth quarter of having students in school buildings, and learning online instead......in Beatrice....five instructors and a technology coordinator are retiring......having racked up about 150 years in education. Beatrice School Superintendent Jason Alexander recently asked them for their thoughts upon retirement....

Arnie Cerny

Arnie Cerny

Where did you start teaching and what was your mascot?

38 years ago graduated from SDSU wanted to be a teacher and a coach, all of my heroes were educators prior to that

First 2 years in Jefferson South Dakota - Black Hawks

Wakefield - Trojans

Waverly - Vikings and Lady Vikings

Beatrice - Orangemen and Lady Orange

Number of years in education?

38 years in education and for kids

Number of years in Beatrice?

22 total years

Graduated from what college?

South Dakota State University - Jackrabbits

Best memory in your experience?

In coaching alone, my first job in Jefferson City involved coaching Volleyball so that was a very memorable experience.

Big highlight was making the State Tournament in 1990-92 in Volleyball and in Girls Basketball.

Coaching both Jr. High and High School level was an absolute phenomenal

experience. I can say that in 38 years I have never had to go to work, “I go to school” and it’s been an awesome passion not a job.

What’s been the biggest change in education?

The internet has been the biggest change. In 88-90, I was one of the first teachers in the state to get the internet, and tied in a science lesson with my kids. It’s provided a lot of avenues but has diminished a love for reading, which is not necessarily a good thing in our society.

Advice to beginning teachers ?

I’m not sure how much kids have changed over the years, parenting has changed significantly. Communication is way more important than it ever used to be, and it’s important to be a good communicator. You have to find a way to consistently communicate with parents in order to be successful. Communication is easier due to email, infinite campus, and all the avenues we need, but it’s important to communicate consistently. Parents will be way more supportive of you if you communicate prior to any situation that may evolve.

Jan Smaus

Jan Smaus

How do you feel as you reflect on this decision?

Have very mixed feelings about it, as I have been coming down to the end and reviewing assignments from kids, I have decided they are like recipes.

Sometimes you have to just add some water, some eggs, and they are done, and there are some that need some more ingredients like salt, like baking powder.

College Graduate From? UNL for Undergraduate and Doane for Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction.

Where did you start teaching and what was your mascot?

Norfolk Middle School - 3 years and Beatrice after that.

Number of years in education?

Prefer not to answer, but more than 3.

Number of years in Beatrice?

Chose not to answer this question but guessed it to be more than a couple.

Best memory in your experience?

Probably some of the best memories are when parents of kids I have now come in for parent teachers conferences and say they remember me and still have a pillow they made in my class, The numerous people and speakers that I have had the privilege to meet and listen too.

Advice to beginning teachers ?

After meeting with the teacher that is going to be taking my place, I encouraged her to ask questions, ask for help, whether it’s another teacher, an administrator, or a parent the most important thing you can do is ask for help.

Big Plans

Hope to continue teaching some way, 4-H, Fabric Store or some other means. Traveling - a little undecided at this point. Cleaning and sewing

Dave Koch

Dave Koch

How do you feel as you reflect on this decision?

Very happy, had some reservations about it, but looking forward to it. Looking most forward to getting the HONEY DO LIST DONE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK.

Where did you start and what was your mascot?

First started his career in education as a school board member and then transitioned into current position as Technology Administrator in 1997.

Number of years in education?

In the job as a paid position 23 years, but 9 years as a school board member.

Number of years in Beatrice?

Lived in Beatrice his entire life, and 23 years in the School System.

Best memory in your experience?

Biggest accomplishment was moving from laptops to chromebooks. Best memories would be moving into the new high school in 1999.

Advice to beginning educators?

Never stop learning and be open to new ideas, be open to see the potential in students no matter how they look on the outside.

Ann Luers

Ann Luers

How do you feel as you reflect on this decision?

Very mixed feelings, hard decisions to make, everyone says you will know when you are ready, and family is probably the biggest part of the decision. I am looking forward to it and excited to have the opportunity to travel more, but more importantly spend time with my kids who are spread out. The uncertainty is difficult, and I know I am going to miss the kids.

Where did you start and what was your mascot?

UnderGraduate from UNL, but graduate school was through KU(we will forgive her for that).

Number of years in education?

Been in Beatrice as an educator for about 25 years(since 1995).

Biggest Change in Education?

From a special education viewpoint, I think the way we teach is different than it was 25 years ago. It used to be taught to the students, and now it is more trying to teach to the learning style and address how kids learn, planning activities and teaching in ways that kids learn. Educators have realized that students don’t necessarily learn in desks and in neat little rows anymore. This is what I have loved about Paddock Lane, is that students learn differently and other students accept the differences more readily than they used to.

Best memory in your experience?

Some of the students I work with are really tough kids with limited

communication skills, so seeing students who come from almost having no

communication skills to be able to speak have been my highlights.

One specific student that did not have the motor skills to utilize technology, but after getting him an ipad and a communication device we found that he knew the entire alphabet, and is now using his device and working independently has taught me that you can never say never when teaching kids.

Advice to beginning teachers ?

In the field of education, especially special education, flexibility is key. You need to be able to change gears and switch paths frequently. There is always a learning curve, and things change so rapidly, but if you can adjust and adapt to the changes being flexible, it will be what keeps you invigorated. Be aware of the bandwagon, but don’t feel like you always have to jump on it right away when it comes to learning something.

Margaret Doyle

Margaret Doyle

How do you feel as you reflect on this decision?

I was hoping to teach until I was 70, but it was time to look at other options and I feel comfortable now with it, as hard as it is to make the decision I look forward to spending time with my grandson.

Where did you start and what was your mascot?

Started in Beatrice as the Para Position through the social studies resource center.

Number of years in education?

26 total years in Beatrice.

Best memory in your experience?

Well, having Mr. Sutter as a student, I have lots of memories. Mr. Sutter was in my class when he studied a government funded program(resources, simulation game, hands on activities, etc.) Part of the program had to deal with Soap Stone Carvings similar to the Eskimos. Mr. Sutter carved a dog, and he tells the story how his mom saved it and he still has it.

The years we have studied how the Eskimo’s would eat fish eyes and kids would bring goldfish and swallow them to show me how they were like the Eskimos. I remember Kelly Berger/DeBorer who I once came around the corner to find her mimicking me and teaching the class.

Advice to beginning teachers ?

Gotta love every single student, whether they comply with what you want them to do. They can sense if you aren’t being realistic, when students genuinely know that you care about them, that’s when it will become fun. If it’s just a paycheck, and the ornery kid annoys you and you can’t stand them, it will not be fun anymore. You can say you really care as much as you want too, but if students don’t feel that you care, they will not respond.

Connie Leech

Connie Leech

How do you feel as you reflect on this decision?

Not how I saw it all coming to an end, but I feel like it’s the right thing for me at this time to spend time with my own grandkids, and travel some more.

Where did you start and what was your mascot?

Started with Mosiac/Martin Luther home from 4 year olds to 16 year olds for students with disabilities - 14 years - worked with all ranges of disabilities. Beatrice Public Schools saught Connie out to pioneer a BD School with Elementary Students. - 5 years

Then transitioned into a regular education 2nd grade classroom for the past 22 years. Wide range of experiences and have enjoyed them all.

Number of years in education?

41 total years

Number of years in Beatrice?

All of those years in Beatrice….but with different experiences. She has worked with the most challenging behaviors, including her own daughters.

Best memory in your experience?

When all the hours of helping a child learn to read, or learn what you have been teaching them, and they finally get it. There are so many memories of seeing kids learn. Knowing how much kids have loved and appreciated me, a specific experience is when a particular foster child came in with a rose for me, and said my foster mom wouldn’t get you anything, but I saved all my money to get you a flower. As a breast cancer survivor, receiving a breast cancer survivor quilt.

Biggest Changes in Education?

As educators we do have to meet a much wider variety of cognitive abilities than in the past. With so many different varied levels of learning abilities and behavior levels, it’s been a big change from even 10 years ago, but definitely more than 30 years ago. Technology is probably one of the biggest changes as a wonderful resource for information that we never used to have.

Advice to beginning teachers ?

Your kids are going to come in at all different levels, it’s your job to work with all of them, and help them all try to get at least a year of growth.

Be a duck and let some of the water roll of your back, instead of taking everything to heart, let it go and move on.