Reception honors area teachers
By DIANE GASPER-O'BRIEN
One said she always wanted to be a teacher, but didn't -- not right away anyway. The other followed her dream since fourth grade and majored in elementary education immediately after high school.
While about 30 years separate Kathryn Wallert and Jessie Groff in age, they are both new to their profession and willing to soak up all they can from their more experienced colleagues.
Groff was one of the "new" teachers recognized at Tuesday's 22nd annual Faculty-Teacher Reception at Fort Hays State University's Sternberg Museum of Natural History.
Wallert was a veteran, of one year. She is in her second year of teaching in the psychology department at FHSU after earning her bachelor's and master's degree late in life.
Representatives from Fort Hays, North Central Kansas Technical College, Hays USD 489 and Hays Catholic schools introduced their new teachers at the reception, sponsored by several local businesses and hosted by the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce.
One of those rookies was Groff, a first-grade teacher at Wilson Elementary School after graduating in May in just three years at FHSU.
A 2007 graduate of Hays High School, Groff was eager to get out into her profession. After all, she knew since fourth grade -- where she was motivated by her teacher, Linda Stahlman at Roosevelt Elementary in Hays -- that she wanted to be a teacher when she grew up.
"I had a rough third-grade year in math, and (Stahlman) spent the time working on math with me," Groff said. "She was always there for her kids."
So Groff said she decided then and there she wanted to help youngsters in much the same way. Fort Hays was her choice of colleges to attend because, she said, "the elementary education department there is top-notch."
She considers herself lucky to have gotten a job in Hays USD 489, where at Wilson Elementary she joined seasoned first-grade teachers Lisa Schreck and Julie Brown this year.
"I was pretty excited," said Groff, whose husband, Justin Groff, also is a Hays High and FHSU graduate and works in Hays. "(USD 489) is so advanced in technology, a great place to work."
Wallert feels the same about Fort Hays.
"I love my classes," said Wallert, who drives about 30 miles to work from Russell each day. "I love Fort Hays."
Wallert said when she was young, she wanted to be a teacher when she grew up but started raising a family instead.
With her children raised, she started college earlier this decade and graduated in 2005 with a bachelor's degree, and in '09 with a master's and began teaching at Fort Hays last year.
The reception, a tradition during the first month of each school year since 1989, always includes food and fellowship, and the chance to network with fellow teachers was not lost on Groff.
"It's nice to be able to talk to other teachers, get to know some from other schools," she said.
Wallert agreed, saying, "Any time the community wants to thank teachers, it's fantastic."
So, too, did Chris Dinkel, longtime fourth-grade teacher at Holy Family Elementary School.
"You really know the way to a teacher's heart," she told event organizers. "An after-school snack."