Relationships

By Susan Elizabeth (Garrity) Wyder

This paper addresses the importance of relationships within Princeton.

My name is Susan Wyder, and I am a candidate for the Princeton Board of Education. Please allow me to explain why. My first experience with Princeton came in 1974, when our oldest daughter, Gretchen, entered Carol Spiller's kindergarten at Springdale Elementary. That amazing lady, as all kindergarten teachers do, introduced a love of learning, a social sense of right and wrong, an inquisitive spirit, a zest for life, and the importance of relationships. We are still in touch with Mrs. Spiller. As the years passed, and the number of our children in elementary grew, so did the foundations of reading and math skills that have carried them well into adulthood. The kids still talk about a story that Frank Jones read, or a fond memory from Faye Eaton's room, or math with Doris Evans.

In 1979, Gretchen began violin with Bob Monroe, and that instruction continued with Susan Milligan, and on it went, and now Gretchen is an orchestra teacher, and, yes, we are still friends with Bob and Susan. Rachael will tell you about band camp, with Sam Reynolds and Becky Brown, as well as some of her favorite HS math classes, which led her to her position as an account executive with Loth Experts. Jennifer loved the classes of Ken Ferris and Beth Harding, and, until she became a stay at home mom, had a position with F & W Publications. Charlie, who got to ride in a Princeton school bus with Joan Meier to her retirement dinner, took IB math at the HS, and now works as an architect and structural engineer. Their teachers cultivated relationships and made an impact!

In 1980, my career in Princeton began. It was Roberta Evans, who helped me fine tune my teaching techniques; it was Helen Levy who brought my knowledge and love of children's literature to a new level; and, it was Keith Perkins, the principal, who taught me the importance of taking care of every single child entrusted to my care, thereby sowing the seeds for the Giving Tree, which has grown to be a venerable tradition at Sharonville Elementary. The latter two of these fine Princetonians have passed away, but Roberta and I remain close friends. Relationships!

And, so it has gone, for the last thirty years. Princeton is the good people in the trenches who have made a difference in children's lives! It is the bus drivers who help calm bad mornings! It is the secretaries who help with forgotten lunches and book bags! It is the paraprofessionals who provide crisis management on a daily basis! It is the custodians who keep the buildings spotless, comfortable, and germ-free! It is the ladies in the cafeteria who always seem friendlier than Ronald McDonald. It is the nurses who tend to scrapes, diabetes, and asthma with reassuring smiles! It is the speech pathologists who help students become communicators! It is the psychologists who test and help parents/staff through stressful meetings. It is the symphony caliber musicians who move kids from the first awful squawks to the amazing music that is, indeed, the "Pride of Princeton!" It is the art teachers who turn scribbles into masterpieces! It is the PE teachers who convert high BMIs into physical fitness! It is the classroom teachers who guide students from the unknown to mastery of a subject! It is the building principals who keep all of the Viking ships afloat! It is all of the employees of Princeton, the unsung heroes, who quietly make a difference every day! Princeton is the relationships!

Princeton is also the students, parents, and grandparents, the ones who run festivals, bake sales, walkathons, and fundraisers; the very ones who have made such a difference in my life, the ones who have been patient, kind, and understanding, (even through the squawking of my own violin as I attempted to learn to play), while helping me evolve into an educator! The song from "The King and I" is true + I have been taught by my pupils, by their parents, by their grandparents, by my amazing colleagues, and by all of the good people with whom I have been fortunate enough to share time and memories. It is all of these relationships!

Therefore, in my retirement, it is time for me to give back, and, to that end, I am running for the Princeton Board of Education. My candidacy is dedicated to every single one of you + students, parents, grandparents, colleagues, and friends + you who have inspired me to dream and challenged me to achieve, throughout most of my adult life! My candidacy celebrates you and all of the splendiferous relationships you have given to me!