33 years of loving kids

SEELEY LAKE – "[Kathy Teague] you have touched so many people's lives and made such a positive difference," said Julie Haines, Seeley Lake Elementary Special Education Coordinator, at Teague's retirement party May 17. "You have always brought personal relevance and reality to the relationships with students. I don't know how much more meaningful you can get than that."

At the end of the school year, Kathy Teague will retire after 33 years of working at SLE. She started out as the district clerk, transitioned to a Title 1 aide and flexed into special education paraprofessional educator. Through seven different superintendents Teague said she never lost focus of what she enjoyed most, the students.

Teague always wanted to be a teacher. However, even though she was accepted into a teaching program, her loan did not go through until after she had withdrawn.

Instead Prudential Insurance of New Jersey hired her because of her near perfect high school attendance record. She worked in office and retail, accounts payable, receivables, payroll, inventory control, social coordinator before moving to Seeley Lake.

Teague moved to Montana with her first husband who was an avid fisherman and hunter. They arrived in Seeley Lake Aug. 4, 1985.

Teague searched for jobs in Missoula before applying for the clerk's position at SLE. She interviewed in January and thought, "I'll never get this, they don't know me, I just blew into town."

She was told they would call her that night.

"It got to be 11 p.m. and there was no phone call. I went to bed crying - I'm going to have to go back to Missoula and look for a job," said Teague. "At 6 a.m. the next morning, the then superintendent Bob Aumaugher called me and asked, 'Can you be here at 8 a.m.?'"

Teague started Jan. 8, 1986 as SLE's district clerk. She had to learn it all her self since there had been no clerk since November 1985.

"I would have agencies call me and say, I didn't get this report or that report," said Teague laughing at the memory. "I would say, 'Oh, I don't know about that report, tell me about that.'"

When her now ex-husband returned to New Jersey, Teague stayed in Seeley because she had made a commitment to SLE and could afford to live on her own. She met her current husband Andy Teague in August 1987. They married July 1988.

On. Sept. 30, 1996, SLE Junior High Teacher Cliff Nelson was shot and killed. Teague received a call from her daughter Rose who was working in Valdez, Alaska with the Coast Guard at the time.

"I went back to sleep and just thought it was a bad dream," said Teague. "Then Karen Pagett called me at 6 in the morning to tell me what happened. [I thought] Wow, it wasn't a dream. Rose really did call me and tell me."

Teague said it was such a sad time and things were never the same. The plays that Nelson used to write, holiday celebrations he threw for the students and trips to Yellowstone and Glacier were something the students really enjoyed and they were gone. The national parks trips just recently started happening again.

After being diagnosed with breast cancer in May 1996, Teague hoped to change positions. Her two youngest were three and six years old. Her oldest had just left for basic training for the coast guard.

"Being the District Clerk can be a 60-80 hour a week job," said Teague. "If I don't survive this I will feel bad because I spent more time at my job than with my kids."

Teague applied for the Title 1 aide position after Anita Richards retired and started it in September 1997. While it was a pay cut, she had holidays and summers off. Once her Title 1 position was no longer funded, Teague was flexed into her current position as special education paraprofessional educator.

Teague's favorite part of her career at SLE has been working with the students.

"When you have worked in offices and retail and all you have worked with is adults, you don't get the same feeling when you see a kid finally 'Aww – they got it,'" said Teague. "When that little light bulb goes off and you can see it, it is a rewarding feeling."

Even though every job outside of high school has involved math, Teague said math was not a strong subject for her in school. When she was an aide in Mary Stone's seventh and eighth grade math classes, she said she got it.

"My heart would go out to those kids that just didn't get it because I would remember feeling that way," said Teague. "It was like I have to come up with my way of getting it to these kids."

Ever since Teague has worked with the sixth through eighth grade math classes. She has also worked with students who had cerebral palsy, severe learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder.

"Some of the ones that were the hardest for others to deal with, I was able to deal with them," said Teague. "You love them all but there are always a few that tug at your heart strings more."

One of these students was Joe Ogden. She remembered one day when her rheumatoid arthritis was really flaring up. She had to hold her right arm up with her left to write on the board.

"Joe comes over, just quiet Joe, and takes the marker. He said, 'You sit down Mrs. Teague. I will write it for you.'"

Teague said Ben Montross was another student she really clicked with. Since he often did not like the breakfast served in the cafeteria, Teague would bring in special hot pockets and juice that he liked for breakfast and they would have breakfast together.

"He matured so much, he was such a pleasure," said Teague.

Teague would treat her students to dinner and to the movies, sometimes as a reward and other times for special occasions.

"I do it so the kids know they are special and it does mean something to someone if you do something [for them]," said Teague. "I tried to make things as simplified as possible and let them know it is not such a bad place. When they walked into this room, I wanted them to know they are welcome to be here."

Teague appreciated all the hugs, cards, gifts and words of encouragement she received from her past and present students. When she broke her ankle in February, 2011 she remembers the students fighting over pushing her in the wheelchair. The sixth graders had to keep a list to keep from arguing.

"That was an amazing time, even though it was a pain in the butt with a broken ankle," said Teague. "Those kids made me feel so good."

Teague has had many students of students but last year she had her first granddaughter of a past student. Jeromy Stevenson was an eighth grader when she started and recently his granddaughter Rilee Blackburn was in the preschool.

After working for 50 years and turning 66 this past May, Teague said it is time to retire. Teague looks forward to setting her own schedule in retirement and getting back to her old projects. She looks forward to volunteering with places with animals. She would like to travel, visit the Grand Canyon and do things with her family. She will still be plugged in at SLE as a substitute.

Teague will miss the staff, especially the special education teachers she has worked with, the holiday parties and activities and the students.

Teague said, "It's all about the kids. Sometimes they drive me crazy but it is rewarding and I love every one of them."