Washington County Enterprise-Leader
A Drive-By Farewell
WILLIAMS SCHOOL HOSTS RETIREMENT PARTY
FARMINGTON — In past years, schools across the country are usually hosting end-of-year receptions to say goodbye and congratulations to those teachers who are retiring after a long career in education.
Amid the covid-19 pandemic with schools closed for in- person instruction, some staff with Williams Elementary School in Farmington didn’t want to let one retirement slip by unnoticed.
The school hosted a drive-by retirement party for second-grade teacher Mary Jane Silva, who is retiring after 26 years, four with Prairie Grove School District and 22 in Farmington.
While the event itself was not a surprise, Silva was surprised when some family members unexpectedly drove up to wish her well in retirement.
The covered area at the front of the school was decorated with balloons and signs. One by one, vehicles drove by, some of them decorated in observance of the occasion. Silva, standing at a safe distance, spoke to those in each vehicle. Many people handed her a card of congratulations as they drove through.
“I appreciated those ladies and guys,” Silva said later. “It seemed like it was way too much and was so special. I’ll never forget that day.”
Those who dropped by included children and parents, teachers and other school employees, school board members, church members and others from the community.
Silva has seen changes in education over the years but the biggest
change probably occurred the last three months of her career.
“It’s funny that I started so long ago and it ended on virtual learning,” Silva said, looking back over her time as an elementary school teacher.
She grew up in Prairie Grove, graduating from Prairie Grove High School. Her first teaching job was in the former primary school building in Prairie Grove, the same place she attended elementary school.
“That building was brand new when I started elementary school,” Silva said. “I was very excited to teach in my old school.”
Silva opened a new class for third-graders.
“Everything we put together for my room came from other classes,” Silva said.
Her principal was Ed Staggs, one of her former teachers as a Prairie Grove student.
In Prairie Grove at that time, teachers also taught P. E., art and music for their classes. Silva said she enjoyed that part of it because she could integrate those activities into her academic concepts.
She taught in Prairie Grove for four years and then stayed home in Farmington with her children for about 15 years. Silva was in her 40s when she returned to work, teaching second grade in the “round building” for Farmington School District. She was in her 50s when she achieved her national board certification.
In Farmington, her first principal was Joe Kisner and then Terri Strope. Farmington opened Williams Elementary in 2005 and Si lva’s principal then became Kara Gardenhire in the new building.
Gardenhire said Silva will be missed at the school.
“She’s always a friend to everyone, a role model, a mentor. She’s always willing to go the extra mile to help students,” Gardenhire said.
Silva’s students knew she was their “biggest supporter,” Gardenhire said.
Silva said her parents did not go to college but they emphasized college for their own children.
“I came from a farm family but they put a high priority on college,” Silva said.
One of her aunts was a teacher and Silva believes that probably influenced her when deciding what to do. She also spent time around other educators. She went to college with the intent to become a teacher and did not change her mind.
She’s stayed in education, Silva said, because she likes creating lessons that meet her students’ needs and learning herself.
“There’s always something new, something fresh to keep it exciting,” Silva added.
Looking back at changes, Silva remembers in the beginning, she had a paddle but used it sparingly.
“It’s not anything I’m proud about. I didn’t use it much but I spanked some kids. That’s the way it was 40 years ago.”
One change for her students, she said, is the amount of time on electronics.
“When I first taught, kids spent more time outdoors. I had to break up fistfights. Not many, but some. Now, they focus more on electronics. Kids are tech savvy. We didn’t have that at all growing up.”
Silva said she enjoyed her last year, even with the changes from March through May.
“The last nine weeks were really different but I still enjoyed that time,” she said, adding she liked meeting with her students through the Zoom app.
One of her annual science projects is to have caterpillars in the classroom so students can see them transform into butterflies.
This year, the kids were able to see this through the Zoom virtual classroom. Silva said she used a document camera so that kids could come into their virtual classroom to see the process.
Silva had been thinking about retirement for a couple of years and said she thought the time was right. She has a few plans in retirement. She plans to garden and spend time with her children and grandchildren. She and her husband, Jeff, also are looking forward to some trips in the future.