Haschaks retire from teaching
After 50 years of combined service to the Willits Unified School District ( WUSD), John and Janice Haschak have retired from teaching. Both John and Janice expressed a passion for the job they spent much of their lives undertaking.
John and Janet taught a variety of subjects at a variety of WUSD schools throughout their careers. Specifically, John taught 18 years at Willits High School ( WHS). He taught Spanish, English Language Development, United States History and World History. He also taught English Language Development to third-graders at Blosser Lane Elementary for 10 years. John taught first and third grades at Brookside Elementary School for two years and spent a year at Baechtel Grove Middle School teaching Social Studies in the seventh and eighth grades. He also spent several years teaching English Language Development for Adult Education.
Janice taught at Blosser Lane for 21 years. She taught third, fourth and fifth grades as well as English Language Development. She spent one year at WHS teaching World History. Janice said that she enjoyed teaching fourth grade at Blosser Lane Elementary School best of all. For John, he enjoyed teaching Spanish at Willits High School as it gave him some more flexibility with the lesson plan. He also enjoyed teaching English Language Development at Blosser Lane.
Janet said that her favorite part of teaching was being with the children. She described her career as very rewarding and although at the present time she is uncertain about what the future will hold for her, she said that she cannot imagine staying away from teaching completely. With warmth in her voice, she described the bonds formed with students throughout the school years and the enjoyment gained from such connections.
Retirement came at a good time for Janice, who enjoyed being in the classroom and connecting with the students. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, WUSD started the new school year and the Haschaks’ first year or retirement, 100 percent online with distance learning, which has brought new challenges for teachers, parents and students as they learn to navigate unprecedented waters.
Even without a global pandemic, teaching can be a challenging job, however, teaching was more than just a job to Janet, she said, “My career in teaching was one of the greatest joys of my life. When one door closes another opens, I think that I will be a teacher for life… it’s in me.”
John described teaching by saying, “It’s a rewarding career.” He expressed gratitude to WUSD for allowing him to transition to teaching just one day a week as his position as County Supervisor has been keeping him busy in recent years. John said teaching was “a wonderful experience, the community has been great. Working with the kids of Willits has been a great experience.” Having attended WUSD himself from fifth grade on, as well as having sent the couple’s children to school in Willits, John said, “It’s been a huge part of my life, it was a great opportunity to teach at the same schools I attended, our kids attended those schools. It’s been a huge part of our lives.”