Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Taking a Break: Priscilla Parr, a 38-year veteran teacher--her last 20 at Willow Glen Elementary School--reads to her first- and second-graders at Willow Glen Elementary School. Parr is retiring this June, along with seven teachers from the school.
WG Elementary is saying goodbye to eight teachers retiring this year
PTA to host farewell luncheon on May 14
By George Moore
Elementary school reunions are a rarity, so when students graduate to middle school, the odds are that they may never see those teachers again. Yet because of the amount of time spent with them, these are the teachers who can become lasting friends and seem like part of the family. Willow Glen Elementary School is losing eight of its faculty "family" members to retirement at the end of the school year.
"I deserve a break," quips Pris Parr, a teacher for 38 years. For the past 20 years she has taught second grade at Willow Glen.
The eight teachers who are retiring have a total of more than 250 years of teaching experience between them--most of those years at Willow Glen.
"They have been a great asset to our school and have provided many rich learning opportunities for our students," said Principal Anita Sunseri. "They're going to be greatly missed."
Parr taught at Broadway Elementary School, part of the San Jose Unified School District (SJUSD), for 14 years before the school was closed. In 1982, she joined the students in their transition to Willow Glen.
Dubbed "Elephant Lady" because of her huge array of miniature elephant collectibles--some given to her by students--Parr, who is never without her smock, appears energetic enough to pull off another 38 years of teaching. She taught first grade this year and said it was a little bit of a shock.
"But I was amazed at what they had learned in kindergarten," said Parr. "It's been a fun year."
Parr is most going to miss working on projects with the children, but is anxious to tackle her own project--tracing her family roots and publishing them on the web. Parr has had an interest in genealogy for the past 10 years and has traced her family background by way of census records from 1850 to 1920 stored at the national archives in San Bruno.
"I was named after my great-great-grandmother, so I have a special interest in her family," Parr said. "I've done a lot of research, but it's all in boxes."
Parr lives in Morgan Hill near Lake Anderson, but is moving to Henderson, Nev., in August.
"I'm going to miss the Willow Glen community," Parr said. "The parents have been wonderful, and I'm going to miss the staff. I'd love to have people come and say goodbye."
Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Veteran Teacher: Priscilla Parr, a first- and second-grade teacher at Willow Glen Elementary School, will be retiring in June, after 38 years of teaching.
Florence Jacknow, a speech and language pathologist who has been teaching at Willow Glen for 17 years, said she will miss the challenge of working with children. She enjoys witnessing improvement in a child with delayed-language issues. Part of the enjoyment comes from just chatting with the children, which can help her to learn where they are in terms of their language development.
Jacknow works with small groups of three to five children, which she says enables her to really get to know them. She has mixed emotions about her retirement, and is already thinking about how to come back and work on a part-time basis.
"But I am going to spend more time with my grandchildren, do some gardening, work on the house, travel, and sleep in a little," said Jacknow. She also will continue to teach English as a second language two nights a week, and would like to get involved with teaching adult literacy classes.
The adage that teachers never stop learning is true in Jacknow's case. She plans to take a course in philosophy, brush up on her Spanish, and take drawing and religious studies classes.
"My heart and my head tell me to continue, but the calendar says it's quitting time," Jacknow said. "I just wish I would have started teaching at an earlier age."
Karis Clason, a computer resource teacher, has been teaching for almost 20 years, and has resided in Willow Glen for the past 38 years.
"My children went to this school and my grandchildren as well," Clason said. "We're pretty much a Willow Glen family."
Clason started out by teaching music and bodybuilding, but moved into the computer field during the early stages of the computer age, in 1985.
"It was very hard then because programs were not easy to understand," Clason said. "I've learned about computers on the job--taking classes after school and on the weekends. I was really chasing myself, trying to learn as much as I could."
Teaching Experts: Willow Glen Elementary School will be losing these eight faculty members at the end of the school year. They are (front row from left) Priscilla Parr, Florence Stein-Jacknow, Arleen Runels, Karis Clason, (back row) Ann Thurman, Sharon McKee, Dottie Engen and Nancy Messinger.
Photogragh courtesy of WG Elementary School
Clason works with students in kindergarten through fifth grade and recently guided third-graders through the steps of an online state survey that asked questions as to how they feel about their school, teachers, peers and curriculum.
Clason is also responsible for making sure the computers work for the teachers in the classroom and the office.
"When I first started teaching computers, they cried when the mouse wouldn't behave--even the teachers," said Clason. "Now, the students come in as kindergartners and it's no longer scary for them."
Clason said that in her retirement she wants to do whatever she can--whatever comes her way.
I love what I've been doing," said Clason. "It's been a privilege to work with the children--it's just time to move on."
About 250 teachers will be retiring from SJUSD after this school year, according to Luis Gonzales of the district's human resources department. The district has projected that it will be hiring about 450 new teachers next year.
The other five teachers retiring are: Ann Thurman, who teaches kindergarten; Sharon McKee and Arleen Runels, who teach second grade; fifth-grade teacher Dottie Engen; and Nancy Messinger, a library resource teacher.
On May 8, the community is being asked to observe "The Day of the Teacher." The day originated in Mexico and was brought to the United States by the Association of Mexican-American Educators, Inc., according to Lu Messimer of California Retired Teachers Association.
"Ultimately, nothing makes teachers happier than seeing their students succeed," said Messimer. "Inasmuch as Teachers' Day never ends, we are asking our community to set aside this one day to observe, celebrate, and honor all teachers."
Willow Glen, California Since 1992
