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 At Zion Lutheran Church and School in Mount
Pulaski, we have been blessed with two great teachers that are
retiring at the end of this school year: Kathy Maske and Jean Davis.
Kathy began teaching in 1987 in Elkhart, Illinois, but then in 1991
began teaching at Zion. Jean started teaching right away at Zion in
1995. Together these women have served more than 60 years in the
classroom, the vast majority of those years at Zion, and have been a
blessing to many!
We asked them both to share some of their memories from teaching.
Kathy, who spent most of her time teaching
Kindergarten and First Grade loved to see, “a child sounding out a
word for the first time, or watching a face crack a smile when they
master writing a, b, or m or ‘monkey tail g’ and I say, ‘Wow! Are
you sure a computer didn’t write that?’” It was always neat to see a
child figure out something challenging, or seeing a child wrap an
arm around another and say, “I’m sorry.” or, “I forgive you.” or, “I
will be your friend.” She considers herself so lucky to have
witnessed those scenes and the many other sweet and wonderful
moments in a child’s life.
Kathy goes on to say, “The moments that always make me smile, warm
my heart, and are the most special are the times that we are going
through something tough in our classroom - the death of a child’s
grandparent, a tough diagnosis, someone hurt or scared, or so many
other trying times, and without prompting from me I hear someone say
“It’s all going to be okay because Jesus will always be with you,”
or “Just think! Your Grandpa is in heaven with Jesus!” or “God loves
us always and forever.” THOSE are the sweet memories and the ones I
will always cherish in my heart. The faith of a child is a beautiful
thing.”
Jean spent most of her time in the Fifth and Sixth Grade rooms. She
remembers a lot of times being proud of students and their small
successes that were so meaningful, like being able to complete 100
multiplication problems in three minutes. It was also neat to see
them improve in reading and learning to write completely in cursive!
Another memorable event was a student’s battle with cancer. It was
wonderful to see the other students be supportive and helpful. When
the treatments were over they all celebrated with a balloon launch;
it was an exciting day!
I also asked them what was the most difficult thing they’ve faced in
their teaching career and they both immediately said navigating
through covid. Jean added it was hard not to see faces and smiles,
and communication was often more difficult in the classroom.
“Differing opinions regarding covid safety have made daily life a
struggle at times!”
In closing, I asked them for some advice for new teachers. Jean
said, “Be able to roll with the change, and keep a good sense of
humor! You’ll need it! Count your blessings. These young ones can
really make your day!” Kathy agreed and added, “Don’t sweat the
small stuff!”
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We are so grateful to have these two women on our
teaching team. They have been a blessing to our other teachers, our
parents, and most of all, to our students over the years. We will
miss them greatly but are also thankful for all of the ways they
have enriched the lives of their students.
2003 Zion Lutheran
Faculty
Class of 2016
graduates and teachers
If you had Mrs. Maske or Mrs. Davis as a teacher,
please reach out and say hello, or better yet tell us a story! They
would love to hear from you. E-mail us at office@zionmp.org or call
217-792-5715.
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