'No Regrets' In 35 Years In Classroom
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
'No Regrets' In 35 Years In Classroom
By David [email protected]
That led her to becoming a counselor, which led her to becoming a mental health therapist.
“No regrets. None at all. I call it a job, but it’s more like a life mission than a job,” she said. “For me, being a mental health therapist gave me more flexibility than being locked in a classroom.”
Now, after 35 years with Warsaw Community Schools, Leesburg Elementary School’s Jan Hammaker is retiring.
A retirement open house for Hammaker and fifth-grade teacher Marsha Cook is scheduled for June 5 from 2 to 5 p.m. in the school cafeteria. The public is invited.
Hammaker and Cook, who both got their start teaching at their churches, have been friends for 10 to 15 years or more. The two friends have nothing but praise for one another.
“She’s highly respected,” Cook said of Hammaker.
Cook said Hammaker not only takes care of the needs of the kids in the school, but also the adults. She’s been known to leave presents on Cook’s desk if she knew Cook needed a boost.
Originally from the North Liberty and South Bend area, Hammaker’s first job was as a first-grade teacher in the old Leesburg School. After teaching first or second grade for 10 years, the position of a resource person with the Title I program became available. Seeing it as an opportunity to use her counseling training that she was working on in her master’s program, Hammaker took the job.
That job expanded later into an elementary counseling program. Hammaker was Warsaw’s first counselor ever. She went to seven schools during the week. Eventually, more counselors were hired and it became a constant program.
“I think I became more understanding of children’s needs and all the difficulties they were going through,” Hammaker said.
But then with financial cutbacks, the elementary counseling positions were eliminated. Hammaker was able to stay on as a mental health therapist.
“I still feel I’m a teacher,” Hammaker said. “Now I’m teaching kids to cope with life.”
When Hammaker first started, she said there were less issues. Now, sexual abuse issues have gotten bigger, she feels.
Emotional and physical safety is the reason for a 10-week bully prevention program taught every year, she said. With the influence of television and video games and social networking, Hammaker said bullying has become more difficult to prevent.
“Opportunities for parents to spend time with their kids seems to have lessened,” Hammaker said.
“I think school picks up on so many of children’s needs where it didn’t before,” she said.
Schools now provide breakfast, clothes to children, and expectations are different, she said.
Asked about the positives of her job, Hammaker said, “Kids. Getting a hug. Walking in a sixth-grade classroom after I got a haircut and the boys say, ‘you got a haircut, it looks nice.’”
The best thing about her job, she said, is when she helps a child and sees a change.
The classroom is a great arena to provide life skills and to build relationships with students, according to Hammaker. She also has lunch with about three groups of students daily for the same purpose. Students need to be able to trust and respect you so they can share their hurts, pain and feelings. Lunch time is a relaxed time to get to know students.
“I think you have to keep a tight schedule so time doesn’t get away from you, but you have to be flexible for those emergencies,” Hammaker said.
Besides her duties at Leesburg, Hammaker also presents workshops on various topics and has taught classroom management at IPFW for six years.
She has a daughter and granddaughter in the Boston, Mass., area, and two grandsons in Boise, Idaho, and a granddaughter in Minneapolis, Minn.
With her retirement, she plans to spend more time with her family, and there has been some talk of her volunteering at Leesburg.
She’s also likely to spend more time with her friends, like Cook, and be seen at church with a smile on her face.[[In-content Ad]]
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That led her to becoming a counselor, which led her to becoming a mental health therapist.
“No regrets. None at all. I call it a job, but it’s more like a life mission than a job,” she said. “For me, being a mental health therapist gave me more flexibility than being locked in a classroom.”
Now, after 35 years with Warsaw Community Schools, Leesburg Elementary School’s Jan Hammaker is retiring.
A retirement open house for Hammaker and fifth-grade teacher Marsha Cook is scheduled for June 5 from 2 to 5 p.m. in the school cafeteria. The public is invited.
Hammaker and Cook, who both got their start teaching at their churches, have been friends for 10 to 15 years or more. The two friends have nothing but praise for one another.
“She’s highly respected,” Cook said of Hammaker.
Cook said Hammaker not only takes care of the needs of the kids in the school, but also the adults. She’s been known to leave presents on Cook’s desk if she knew Cook needed a boost.
Originally from the North Liberty and South Bend area, Hammaker’s first job was as a first-grade teacher in the old Leesburg School. After teaching first or second grade for 10 years, the position of a resource person with the Title I program became available. Seeing it as an opportunity to use her counseling training that she was working on in her master’s program, Hammaker took the job.
That job expanded later into an elementary counseling program. Hammaker was Warsaw’s first counselor ever. She went to seven schools during the week. Eventually, more counselors were hired and it became a constant program.
“I think I became more understanding of children’s needs and all the difficulties they were going through,” Hammaker said.
But then with financial cutbacks, the elementary counseling positions were eliminated. Hammaker was able to stay on as a mental health therapist.
“I still feel I’m a teacher,” Hammaker said. “Now I’m teaching kids to cope with life.”
When Hammaker first started, she said there were less issues. Now, sexual abuse issues have gotten bigger, she feels.
Emotional and physical safety is the reason for a 10-week bully prevention program taught every year, she said. With the influence of television and video games and social networking, Hammaker said bullying has become more difficult to prevent.
“Opportunities for parents to spend time with their kids seems to have lessened,” Hammaker said.
“I think school picks up on so many of children’s needs where it didn’t before,” she said.
Schools now provide breakfast, clothes to children, and expectations are different, she said.
Asked about the positives of her job, Hammaker said, “Kids. Getting a hug. Walking in a sixth-grade classroom after I got a haircut and the boys say, ‘you got a haircut, it looks nice.’”
The best thing about her job, she said, is when she helps a child and sees a change.
The classroom is a great arena to provide life skills and to build relationships with students, according to Hammaker. She also has lunch with about three groups of students daily for the same purpose. Students need to be able to trust and respect you so they can share their hurts, pain and feelings. Lunch time is a relaxed time to get to know students.
“I think you have to keep a tight schedule so time doesn’t get away from you, but you have to be flexible for those emergencies,” Hammaker said.
Besides her duties at Leesburg, Hammaker also presents workshops on various topics and has taught classroom management at IPFW for six years.
She has a daughter and granddaughter in the Boston, Mass., area, and two grandsons in Boise, Idaho, and a granddaughter in Minneapolis, Minn.
With her retirement, she plans to spend more time with her family, and there has been some talk of her volunteering at Leesburg.
She’s also likely to spend more time with her friends, like Cook, and be seen at church with a smile on her face.[[In-content Ad]]
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