Teachers Morgan and Nickell to retire

It is the first of a two-part story.

As the 2020-2021 school year – a year unique in every way – drew to a close, so did the years of service provided by five educators from the local school system. These educators turned to the News and reflected on their careers and their plans for the future; this is the first of a two-part story covering these conversations.

Peg morgan

By the time Peg Morgan spoke to the News on the last day of the teachers’ school year, she had already cleaned up her third-grade classroom.

“I have most of them in my car,” she said, speaking by phone from her empty classroom.

The articles she packed represent 21 years of her teaching career, during which she led groups of third and fourth graders at Mills Lawn on the path to learning – or, more specifically, the helped guide themselves. Morgan has described his approach to teaching over the years, claiming that children are “active learners”.

“So the teacher creates opportunities for the students to approach learning,” she said.

Morgan’s approach is informed by his own training in Montessori education, which focuses on child-led learning. After earning his BS in Special Education from Wright State and his MA in Montessori Education from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Morgan began his career teaching at a Montessori public institution in Dayton. She went on to teach senior elementary school – ages 9 to 12 – at a Montessori public school in Seattle, Washington, but returned to the Miami Valley after several years to help care for her aging parents.

Morgan said that after her return, she debated whether to seek a job in schools in Centerville or in Yellow Springs, but ultimately chose the village school system because she believed it would help her more effectively do the job. transition to a “traditional elementary experience”.

“With my Montessori experience – the teacher as a guide versus the teacher as a leader – I thought I would be more comfortable with the educational philosophy of the YS school district,” she said. . “And it was true.”

Although she pointed out that she doesn’t use actual Montessori methods in the Mills Lawn classroom, Morgan said she was able to imbue her teaching with some of the same sensibilities.

“I have always stuck to the standards, but even before project-based learning I had the ability to create extensions to the standard curriculum,” she said.

Morgan said some of her favorite expansions involve connecting her young students to the larger community. For example, she cited a project in which local government figures would visit third-graders to talk about government and their functions within it. Mayor Pam Conine has been a repeated presence in Morgan’s classroom, delivering what Morgan called a “wonderful article on the Constitution.” Other favorite projects include working with Susan Jennings of Agraria to guide students in learning about soil health and teaching geometry by having them research and take pictures of quadrilaterals in nature. and architecture.

“The ability to work like that with students in a community? How privileged I was! she said.

Morgan said it had been more difficult to maintain a sense of community in her classroom during the pandemic, saying she was “exhausted” – although she added that was normal for her colleagues.

“It’s not unique to me!” she said.

She also said that she considers herself a “natural learner” and that, all things considered, she has adapted quite well to the changes over the past 15 months, reiterating that her goal is to “follow the students”. Meanwhile, at home, Morgan was dealing with the loss of his father, who died in February.

“It has been a year of great change, but when one door is closed, many doors open,” she said.

To that end, Morgan said this year was a good time to leave Mills Lawn, although she said her reasons for doing so were still a bit nebulous, even for her.

“My thinking is still going on about it – I’m still growing up,” she said. “It’s a good time to explore other things to do.”

First on her record, she said, will deal with things in her personal sphere that have been put aside as she focused all of her energy on caring for her father and teaching.

“I’m going to relearn how to sleep and nest a bit and see where my mind is leading me,” she added.

While she’s looking forward to moving forward into the unknown, Morgan said she will definitely miss being in class, especially the community-building aspect of that class that has defined so much. his career.

“I will miss this annual challenge of meeting a new group of young people and helping them create a class community, which truly strengthens not only their learning, but their positions in the Mills Lawn community and, therefore, their positions in the community. YS community, ”she said.

“There have been relationships that I have enjoyed so much,” she added. “I leave with wonderful memories.

Desiree Nickell

Desiree Nickell told The News that she made up her mind about her career path in ninth grade, when her high school English teacher taught Tennessee Williams’ play “The Glass Menagerie.”

“He just did it in a way that absolutely fascinated me,” she said over the phone. “So I decided I was going to be an English teacher.”

Nickell ultimately made that decision – she is retiring after 17 years teaching YSHS students – although her career took a few other turns first. After obtaining her BA and MA in English, she taught at Bowling Green University and then at Wright State University. She then moved on to the position of Executive Director of the Miami Valley Literacy Council, a Dayton-based nonprofit promoting child and adult literacy, GED completion, and citizenship classes; the organization closed in 2012.

“I worked in adult literacy and absolutely loved it,” Nickell said. “But after eight years, I took a few years off – then I decided I was going to do what I originally wanted to do, which was teach in high school.”

Nickell received his teaching certificate from Antioch McGregor University and spent the next eight years teaching at Meadowdale High School in Dayton. By this time Nickell and her husband Ellis Jacobs had already moved to the village, so it was only natural for Nickell to seek a job at the local high school when it became available in 2004.

At YSHS, Nickell said, she and her colleagues were free to create their own programs, including showing students a new work by Shakespeare each year – “I love teaching Shakespeare,” she said; a first-grade introduction to “The Hero’s Journey” by examining Homer’s “The Odyssey” and other more contemporary works like “The Hobbit” and “The Hunger Games”; and, yes, some Tennessee Williams – namely, “A Streetcar Named Desire”.

“I don’t know why, but I never taught ‘The Glass Menagerie’,” Nickell said.

Nickell has long known that this would be her last year at YSHS – she had always planned to retire at 65. People in her personal sphere, she said, have told her more than once that they are sorry her senior year has been eclipsed by COVID-19 restrictions – but Nickell feels differently.

“I wouldn’t have missed this year for the world! she said. “It was like a whole new ball game – all of these things that I had never done before – and I found it really energizing and stimulating. It was phenomenal.

Nickell leaves YSHS with some satisfaction in terms of the legacy she leaves after nearly two decades in school. In particular, she highlighted the AP seminar course for juniors – a course that developed late in her career – as a point of pride. The course focuses on critical thinking, critical reading, and argumentative writing, and highlights methods of identifying credible and non-credible sources in news media and research papers.

“Being able to navigate our contemporary media landscape is pretty important,” she said. “You can’t have as much fun, I guess, as in a literature class – but I’m sure any of the students could be successful at college writing afterwards.” [AP seminar]. “

She also noted her time as a counselor for the Gay Straight Alliance group on campus, a position she created after being approached by community members to start a local chapter of the club run by LGBTQ + students and allies.

“The work we did was rewarding, and I’m really proud of it – and GSA will thrive after I leave,” she said.

Nickell said she will miss her students “terribly” and her colleagues – “I’ve never worked with a better group of people,” she said. Nonetheless, she looks forward to her retirement and plans to enjoy each day as it comes: biking and walking, cooking, gardening, visiting friends and spending time with her father, Jack Nickell, who also lives in the town.

“And reading! Nickell said. “Most of what I’ve read over the years has been books I’ve taught, so I have stacks and stacks of books just waiting for me to read.”

Nickell also said she plans to volunteer later, with organizations like Planned Parenthood and the League of Women Voters to consider – but for now, she’s happy to be decidedly undecided.

“I explore a lot of different things, but most of all I want to enjoy my life,” she said. “And while I have really enjoyed reading all of my students’ homework over the years, I am happy that I never have to grade again in my life!” “