THE END OF AN ERA....

After 26 years I am retiring from teaching early morning Spanish. I started at Grant Elementary with Virginia Smith and then added on different schools, Liberty and Longview but the last 15 years I've been at Viewmont and Grant. I worked a short time in the after school program teaching Beginning Spanish at Parkside. After Virginia, Karen Greenwell taught at Grant with me. Those were really fun years. Because we had more time with the students, we did programs at the end of the year with dances and singing and awards. Because the teachers dwindled and I was left to teach both beginning and advanced classes, I had to split up the week. Still, it was so rewarding to see how fast these elementary students picked up the language. Mrs. Slade, the Spanish teacher at RJH, said she could always tell who had taken early morning Espanol in her Jr High classes; they were the most advanced students. I even taught 3 of Lara Slade's children at Viewmont over the years. I also taught 3 of Julie Hebertson's children at Viewmont. She is also a teacher at RJH. It is so fun to walk down the halls between classes and hear Senora Woodall! Hola! It's been a great 26 yrs. and I will miss it dearly, but maybe I'll be able to travel a little now during the school year if the occasion arises. Ah well, all good things must come to an end.....