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Friends share memories of teachers putting down the chalk
Memories and farewells were shared over cake and punch May 7 at Kearney Junior High School as friends, colleagues and former students gave well wishes to retiring teachers.
Superintendent Dr. Chris Belcher read a proclamation from the Missouri Senate for each retirement followed by colleagues saying a few words to the crowd.
Sherry Sauvain talked about how special needs teacher Karen Hessel is irreplaceable.
"She has an immeasurable special patience," Sauvain said.
Trish Mendel worked with students at Kearney Middle School to come up with the top 10 list of phrases retiring teacher Gayle Neff uses. Among them, "I played Wii last night; it was interesting," and, "Don't do anything you'll regret."Mendel said Neff lived her words.
"She wasn't afraid to try new things.
Kearney High School Assistant Principal Robert Bowers gave fellow and soon former Assistant Principal Cindy O'Brien a tearful farewell, recounting her mentorship.
"If Cindy taught me anything, it's to lead by example, no job is too important or too small," Bowers said.
Cheryl Bennett recalled several humorous stories about fellow kindergarten teacher Debbie Posch.
"Debbie, we will miss you terribly," Bennett said.
Karen Hessel
Dogwood Elementary School special needs teacher Karen Hessel has taught for 31 and a half years, 23 of those years in Kearney.
"I just like working with the kids," Hessel said about students with special needs. "They're appreciative."
She said they'll often work harder and be prouder of accomplishments than some students for whom tasks come easy. Hessel said she was especially proud of some students a few years ago who participated in a local theater production.
"It was so good to see them excel," Hessel said.
Through the years, Hessel said she's seen students with special needs be in the regular classroom more. She said it's a case-by-case basis whether that's a good thing.
Her retirement plans are to be a substitute teacher and spend more time with her children in addition to yard work.
Gayle Neff
Kearney Middle School sixth-grade communication arts teacher Gayle Neff moved to Kearney eight years ago to be closer to her children. She has logged 33 total years teaching various subjects from the elementary through ninth-grade level including gifted programs.
She said a highlight of her career was coming to the new current Kearney Junior High School when it first opened. Neff spent a lot of time in smaller school districts and never had a new classroom.
"I got very adept at saving a penny in the classroom any way I could," Neff said.
She said students today are being given more material at the lower grades. That's not necessarily a good thing, she said.
"We're not giving the kids a chance to grab hold of the information and use it," Neff said.
Her plans are to spend time with her grandchildren and find something to keep her active like volunteering or substitute teaching.
Cindy O'Brien
Kearney High School Assistant Principal Cindy O'Brien spent 27 years of her education career in Savannah before spending four years in Kearney. She moved to Kearney to be closer to her daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren. Before going into administration, she spent 16 years as an English and journalism teacher.
She said her career highlights were making an impact on students. Recently, O'Brien said she received notes from students thanking her for smiling at them daily, talking to them, being a listening ear and attending school events.
"How we act and what we do every day impacts students' lives that we never think about," O'Brien said.
She said it's the little things that count.
O'Brien will work with the school district part time in her retirement in addition to spending more time with family and traveling.
Debbie Posch
Debbie Posch taught kindergarten for 30 years, 22 of those years at Kearney Elementary.
She said the most notable change throughout the years has been technology.
"It was a scary, scary day when they brought that big black box into my room and I didn't know how to use it," Posch said.
Now her students use a SMART Board (an interactive white board) and go to the computer lab regularly. She said the students are really proficient with the technology.
Another change is class size. When she first started in Kearney, she had four sections of kindergarten with 29 students per class. But now there are more sections districtwide, meanwhile she has just 14 students this year.
In her retirement, Posch plans to baby-sit her grandchildren and travel.
"I've had a great time in Kearney; it's a wonderful place to live and a great place to teach," Posch said.
Kearney Editor Kevin M. Smith can be reached at 628-6010 or
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