As the end of the school year approaches for students and staff, some NPHS staff members are not only finishing off the school year but closing an important chapter of their lives and careers at NPHS. Special Education teachers Mrs. Martin and Mrs. Beltz, and school social worker Mrs. Shelley are among those who will retire after this year. Reflecting on their experiences at NPHS, they shared memories, advice and special moments throughout their careers.
If you could be anything besides a teacher/school social worker, what would it be?
Mrs. Beltz: “I was an actress in a previous life so I’d say an actress”
Mrs. Martin: “I have two things I would like. One of them is to get a degree in horticulture, and the other is geology. I think that would be fun.”
Mrs. Shelley: “I really love what I do. I found my passion in what I want to do, so I don’t want to do anything else.”
Do you have anything you would like to do post-retirement?
Mrs. Beltz: “I plan to do some traveling and I plan to do some volunteer work. And I plan to spend time with my family.”
Mrs. Martin: “I have a very long list: gardening, spending time with my kids and grandchildren, hanging out with friends, and playing the drums.”
Mrs. Shelley: “My husband’s retired, and I’m going to be a grandmother. But I’m probably going to do some therapeutic work with children.”
What inspired you to become a teacher/a school social worker?
Mrs. Beltz: “I’ve kind of always been a teacher, so I actually started being a teaching assistant in college when I went to college. So I was a teacher assistant, even as an undergraduate. So I kind of knew that was my path.”
Mrs. Martin: “I think I was born that way. There wasn’t anything that inspired me. I just always knew I wanted to be a teacher.”
Mrs. Shelley: “I wanted to help people, and I also wanted to help people who were underserved, like social justice, kind of address those needs.”
If you could give your younger self some advice, what would it be?
Mrs. Beltz: “Trust yourself, keep flexible and never underestimate the importance of planning”
Mrs. Martin: “Not to worry about where it was going, because it’s all going to be okay.”
Mrs. Shelley: “Don’t think about the time. Just do it. Just do it.”
How do you think teaching/social work has changed since you have started teaching?
Mrs. Beltz: “I don’t think teaching has necessarily changed. I think the job of teaching pretty much remains the same. I think there are always environmental differences, lots of things have happened and that’s why I say flexibility is key. So you have to keep finding ways to teach when expectations change, or the environment changes, or something like COVID, but at the end of the day, what we’re always trying to do is the same, and that’s to help students learn.”
Mrs. Martin: “There’s a lot more pressure on teachers, but there’s also a lot more pressure on students. I don’t think technology has necessarily helped. Students now have so many different platforms, assignments, and formats to keep track of, and sometimes the technology doesn’t even work. I just think it’s overwhelming.”
Mrs. Shelley: “I think that the generation with AI and technology is really changing the way that social workers provide services. I think the whole evolution of AI is really changing how we do things.”
What’s one thing you will miss most about teaching/working?
Mrs. Beltz: “I’ll miss learning because part of teaching is that you’re constantly learning and I find that interesting. The other thing of course, I’ll miss the students and my colleagues who’ve been great”
Mrs. Martin: “The people I work with and the kids.”
Mrs. Shelley: “I will miss working with the students, my team members on the Child Study Team, the teachers, administrators. I’ll miss working in this school system. It’s been great.”
Is there any tradition or event at school that you will miss?
Mrs. Beltz: “I’m a big basketball fan. I’ve enjoyed watching basketball over the years, and I think that I’ll probably even still come to basketball games when I’m retired. I love to watch the teams. I’ll miss Monthly Munchies, which is a classroom tradition.”
Mrs. Martin: “I always loved a good senior prank. I also always cry a little at graduation. And I kind of like when we have midterms and finals because teachers get more time together to talk, catch up, and share ideas.”
Mrs. Shelley: “Teacher Appreciation Week. I really enjoy going to high school graduation, too. But now that I don’t work in the high school, I don’t do that, but I did enjoy that.”