Teacher retires after 37 years with McCook Public Schools

Mary Dueland is surrounded by her fourth grade students, the last students she will teach. Dueland is retiring at the end of this school year after 37 years with the McCook School District. (Lorri Sughroue/McCook Gazette)

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Mary Dueland is ending her career exactly where she started 37 years ago: with the McCook School District.

When she first started teaching third grade in 1977, she used a mimeograph machine, a chalkboard and grade book. Now, computerized Smartboards are used and grades and attendance are entered online, but one aspect has stayed the same: the teacher behind the desk.

"Its not just a job you go and leave. You have to invest in the kids, for them to invest in school, " Dueland said. "They have to know you are there for them."

Dueland did that by getting to know the students before they even stepped into her classroom at the beginning of the year. For six weeks during the summer, one hour a week, she picked up groups of kids in her van (later using the school van), and took them to the library, or the park across the street for math games or crafts, then for doughnuts downtown at the bakery. Before school began that year, the last meeting would be in her classroom.

"It was more of a benefit for me, actually," she said. "I learned so much about the kids, got to know how they tick. It helped me in other ways, too, such as seating arrangements for the coming year, who likes to read and who doesn't. The kids seemed enjoyed it too, they got to know each other."

Teaching is more than reading, writing and arithmetic for many teachers, including for Dueland. Getting kids out in the community is just as important as what happens in the classroom, she believed. "I wanted my students to know there is a whole other world out there, to be involved with others, be a member of the community," she said.

To that end, her students kept in correspondence every year with a Peace Corp volunteer, signed up to ring the Salvation Army bell during Christmas and read folk tales at the Buffalo Commons Storytelling group. They also interviewed residents at area retirement homes on how they spent Christmas as a child, then typed up the stories, assembled a book and read it outloud to the residents.

Dueland didn't start out wanting to teach. After spending a year abroad in high school as a foreign exchange student, she fell in love with the French language and wanted to study it in college. But not knowing how that would work out as a career, she switched to education instead.

After graduating from McCook High School in 1973, she earned her teaching degree at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She went on to get a masters in elementary education in 1980 from UNL-Kearney, later earning a degree in curriculum and instruction in 2005 and a degree in administration in 2010. For the past ten years, she was assistant principal at Central Elementary.

Dueland began teaching third grade at East Ward School, when third and fourth grades were combined and taught by a team of three teachers. For the past 12 years, she's been teaching fourth grade at Central Elementary

The best part of the job have been the students, she said. "I could shut the door to the classroom, be with the kids and be happy."

So after all these years, what would be her tips for newbie teachers? Be organized, she said. "Kids will eat you up the minute they find out you don't have all your materials." Be consistent, she added, kids learn best that way, but also be flexible, adapting if something unexpected happens. "Something always comes up, but if you can handle it with grace and don't get angry, you don't lose the kids for the rest of the day."

Dueland said upon retiring, she plans to travel a bit and spend more time with her husband, Dale. And being around students won't be totally out of the question, as she hopes to start some community activities for children.

But after 37 years, the last day of school this year will be tough, she acknowledged.

"I will truly miss the challenge of the job, keeping kids engaged, keep learning interesting," she mused. "Teaching is a lifestyle, it comes from inside."