Retiring local teacher reflects on a ‘wonderful’ 30-year career

“I knew that I wanted to go to university,” she said. “My older sister was a teacher at the time and I guess I thought I would follow in her footsteps.

“It’s not a decision I have regretted, so it seemed to be the right thing.”

Rowland earned her bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Saskatchewan by taking night classes. She started teaching Grade 2 students, but also spent some time teaching Grade 7 and 8 as part of a teaching exchange.

Teaching elementary students is a comfortable fit, she said.

“Probably because when they get beyond elementary they’re all taller than I am,” she joked.

Rowland said something she’s enjoyed experiencing is the “wow” factor young children have while learning.

“Those times when kids say: ‘Oh! Now I get it!’ There’s just such a moment when that happens, and it’s special to them, and it’s special to me.

“I love reading to students, I love watching them grow, and I don’t think you get tired of those things,” she said.

One of her favourite memories as a teacher was at the school in Macdowall, where she taught for about nine years. They had an old set of cross-country skis they kept waxed for the kids to use in winter.

“In the afternoon, we’d head out the back door, put the skis on and head through the bush to a nice meadow area,” said Rowland. “We had one of the moms of one of the students in the classroom go out with her Ski-Doo and put a trail in for us.

“Myself and the students would head along this trail, and we’d usually take some juice boxes or bottles that we’d park in the snow. So, by the time we were done our run, they’d be a kind of a slush drink.”

The technology they use while teaching has changed greatly over the years, Rowland pointed out. She recalled the old registers they used to keep track of student attendance.

“At the end of the year, they had to balance, and that was just a nightmare to try and get them to balance if you were out half a day,” she said.

“Sometimes you could spend an entire day or bring another two or three staff members in to try and figure out where your error was.”

Now everything is done on computer, making it easy to edit and leave comments on things like report cards, instead of having to make sure you had the right coloured Wite-Out to match the paper in case you made a mistake, explained Rowland.

The seven schools Rowland’s worked at were Meath Park, Spruce Home, East Central, West Central, Macdowall, Osborne and finally, the only school she’s worked at within the city, Vincent Massey.

Working with each staff at each school’s been a wonderful experience, and she’ll miss the sense of camaraderie she’s felt working with her colleagues, she said.

“School is kind of an extension of your home,” said Rowland. “It becomes a very comfortable place and you have that sense of belonging. This is part of what I assist with, and part of what makes me a person or makes me who I am.”

Teaching hasn’t been without its challenges, but overall it’s been a wonderful experience, and she’s looking forward to spending time with her two grandchildren, she said.

“I’m at a time in my life where I’m looking forward to having more me-time and more time for my family,” said Rowland.

“It’s time to move on, start another chapter, and I’m excited about that.”

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On Twitter: @brynhadubiak

by Bryn Hadubiak

Retiring local teacher reflects on a ‘wonderful’ 30-year career

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