Teachers retire every year. This year, however, we in Robbinsville are losing seven teachers that have served as a hallmark to the very best our schools have to offer.
Recently, a first-year colleague of retiring third grade teacher Debby Muench expressed that she felt cheated to have only one year working alongside Debby. The reason? Even after nearly 40 years in the classroom, Mrs. Muench continues seeking new ways of reaching kids and sharing their excitement when they make key connections. Joining her in retirement are fellow Sharon Elementary School veterans Shirley Little, Betsy Borsuk and Cindy Pivovarnick, Pond Road Middle School counselor Alice Landerkin and Spanish teacher Charlotte Oskin and RHS biology legend Sandy Overton, known throughout the district as Dr. O. These exceptional seven leave behind a legacy of excellence that has come to define our school community.
When interviewing prospective teaching candidates, we look for three important qualities. First, a teacher must be excellent at his/her craft. In other words, he must be enthusiastic about his subject matter and know how to reach students. He must be able to plan lesson experiences that require students to think critically and stretch as they grow academically. He must understand how to make a classroom safe, a place of learning and inspiration, and a place where kids discover important truths about who they are as human beings. These are essential elements of a successful Robbinsville teacher and are attributes that are deeply rooted within the legacy of our seven retirees.
Second, Robbinsville teachers must be learners. A trick question we often ask in interviews is, “When does a teacher reach her full potential?” Of course, the answer we seek is “never,” for we believe that a life well lived is comprised of a series of learning experiences that enable an individual to continually see the world from a fresh perspective. New ways of lesson planning, setting standards or assessing students are not automatically bad things to good teachers. Instead they are opportunities for refinement and self-reflection.
A successful teacher seeks to empower students to a commitment of lifelong learning and must live that commitment herself. If a teacher is to inspire learning, she must model the attributes of learning. One of my favorite things about each of our retirees is their abiding commitment to continue to learn and grow. When the first-year teacher claimed to feel cheated for only having one year with Debby, she was not referring to Debby’s charming personality but to how much she was learning by being near her. The “X Factor” of a good teacher anchors in an attitude about learning and growing. Done well, it inspires the rest of us.
The third attribute we look for in new recruits is a strong commitment to contribute to the health of the school and community. This can mean participating on a curriculum review committee or it can be as simple as sharing lesson plan ideas with a peer. It might mean coaching a sport, helping struggling colleagues or staying after school to help kids understand complex material. Anyone who has been around the high school for any length of time has probably seen one of Dr. O’s crime scenes staged for the forensics class. What the passerby may not realize is Dr. O singlehandedly developed the curriculum and program for this popular elective course. After staging mock trials during which forensic evidence was presented, he even enlisted a real judge to decide the merits of the cases that our students brought forward. This contribution is consistent with the myriad ways our seven retirees have made our school community better because of their influence.
Robbinsville will deeply miss Debby, Charlotte, Alice, Cindy, Betsy, Sandy and Shirley. Our hope for each of them is that they enjoy a healthy and happy retirement with the profound satisfaction of a career lived well. Those familiar with our school community know these educators and are well aware of the scope and power of their influence. Although they will be missed by many, the legacy of excellence they have helped to establish will continue to flourish in the years to come. And for that, we are deeply grateful.
Steve Mayer is superintendent of Robbinsville Schools.
