Stiffler To Retire After 40 Years Of Teaching
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
"You see things as they are, and you ask 'why?' But I dream things that never were, and I ask 'why not?'"
"It's a message of hope," Stiffler said of the quote on the poster during an interview Tuesday afternoon.
The positive-message poster is but one Stiffler has up in her classroom. Other posters remind students to aspire to greatness, something Stiffler herself encourages in students.
But this year will be Stiffler's last at WCHS. After 40 years with Warsaw Schools, all but about five at the high school, Stiffler is retiring.
Stiffler teaches Psychology 2, U.S. History and Modern World History. She previously taught government.
Stiffler was born and grew up in the southeast part of Kosciusko County. She started school in Silver Lake, but graduated from Sidney in 1964. She was a member of the last graduating class from Sidney High School.
Going on to Manchester College, Stiffler started out wanting to be a guidance counselor. Then she student taught at Manchester High School and it sparked her interest in teaching.
"It was probably in college when I student taught because it was so much fun," Stiffler said of when she decided to become a teacher.
"I think it was interacting with students," Stiffler said of what she loved about teaching. "It was rewarding enough."
She graduated from Manchester College in 1968 with a double major in social studies and psychology. Social studies always came easy for Stiffler, she said.
"I had a very good high school social studies teacher," Stiffler said. "Some of the stories I use are ones he used to tell."
Her teacher, Morris Metzger, told the class stories of the Great Depression and lots of little things, Stiffler said. He told them about the Sidney bank going belly up. Stiffler said she didn't even know, at that point, that Sidney had a bank.
But more importantly, Stiffler said, Metzger loved teaching and his students. That inspired her.
After college, Stiffler landed her first job, at Warsaw. Warsaw Schools needed someone to teach psychology one period a day. Stiffler was licensed and could teach psychology.
Reflecting back on her U.S. history teaching career, Stiffler said, "I hope I've helped (students) understand our history is not all good. The country has made some mistakes."
Those mistakes include the treatment of the American Indian, African-Americans and immigrants like the Irish.
"I want them to be able to question the government. Blind patriotism doesn't benefit anyone," she said. "It's not good for any country, not just ours."
As for teaching psychology, Stiffler said it's all about trying to figure people out.
"I like to people watch and figure out why they do what they do, and it's a pastime I haven't given up yet," she said.
Just when she thinks she's figured someone out, she said, a person will do something to surprise her. And that's because people are more complex than they're given credit, she said.
Her favorite thing to teach in psychology, she said, is development because it's fun for her to watch babies and figure out what they are thinking when they can't verbalize what they want. It's fun to watch them learn and acquire skills, she said.
As for her favorite psychologists, Stiffler said Sigmund Freud is not the center of the psychology world. He was good for psychology in that he helped lead others to come up with better ideas.
Stiffler's favorite psychologist, she said, is Carl Rogers. He believes we have it in ourselves to solve our own problems, she said. Rogers also uses the phrase unconditional positive regard, "the ability to love people despite what you know about them," Stiffler said.
With people like that in your life, you can make it through anything, she said.
One of the biggest differences about teaching now compared to when Stiffler started, she said, is the students' homelives.
"I think there are more kids from broken homes than when I started," she said. Some students are harder to connect with because of it.
Teaching is also different because students don't see how education benefits them.
"I think it's harder to get kids to buy into it, to see that it has anything to do with their lives," she said.
Stiffler thinks she has learned how to get them interested. She said, "I think it's being interested in them. That's easy to say, and not so easy to do."
With retirement, Stiffler said, she will be taking it easy. She'll garden, read, play with the grandchildren and work a part-time job.
But she will miss teaching.
"I'm going to miss it," Stiffler said. "I plan to be out of town when school starts. ... I'm going to miss it, but I think it's the perfect time for me to leave."
Teaching has been a privilege, an honor, a joy, a frustration and it made her grow, she said.
Joy and her husband Bob have been married 37 years. Their son, Jamie, has four sons, and their daughter, Jodi Rhoades, has a son and daughter. Another grandchild is on the way.[[In-content Ad]]
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"You see things as they are, and you ask 'why?' But I dream things that never were, and I ask 'why not?'"
"It's a message of hope," Stiffler said of the quote on the poster during an interview Tuesday afternoon.
The positive-message poster is but one Stiffler has up in her classroom. Other posters remind students to aspire to greatness, something Stiffler herself encourages in students.
But this year will be Stiffler's last at WCHS. After 40 years with Warsaw Schools, all but about five at the high school, Stiffler is retiring.
Stiffler teaches Psychology 2, U.S. History and Modern World History. She previously taught government.
Stiffler was born and grew up in the southeast part of Kosciusko County. She started school in Silver Lake, but graduated from Sidney in 1964. She was a member of the last graduating class from Sidney High School.
Going on to Manchester College, Stiffler started out wanting to be a guidance counselor. Then she student taught at Manchester High School and it sparked her interest in teaching.
"It was probably in college when I student taught because it was so much fun," Stiffler said of when she decided to become a teacher.
"I think it was interacting with students," Stiffler said of what she loved about teaching. "It was rewarding enough."
She graduated from Manchester College in 1968 with a double major in social studies and psychology. Social studies always came easy for Stiffler, she said.
"I had a very good high school social studies teacher," Stiffler said. "Some of the stories I use are ones he used to tell."
Her teacher, Morris Metzger, told the class stories of the Great Depression and lots of little things, Stiffler said. He told them about the Sidney bank going belly up. Stiffler said she didn't even know, at that point, that Sidney had a bank.
But more importantly, Stiffler said, Metzger loved teaching and his students. That inspired her.
After college, Stiffler landed her first job, at Warsaw. Warsaw Schools needed someone to teach psychology one period a day. Stiffler was licensed and could teach psychology.
Reflecting back on her U.S. history teaching career, Stiffler said, "I hope I've helped (students) understand our history is not all good. The country has made some mistakes."
Those mistakes include the treatment of the American Indian, African-Americans and immigrants like the Irish.
"I want them to be able to question the government. Blind patriotism doesn't benefit anyone," she said. "It's not good for any country, not just ours."
As for teaching psychology, Stiffler said it's all about trying to figure people out.
"I like to people watch and figure out why they do what they do, and it's a pastime I haven't given up yet," she said.
Just when she thinks she's figured someone out, she said, a person will do something to surprise her. And that's because people are more complex than they're given credit, she said.
Her favorite thing to teach in psychology, she said, is development because it's fun for her to watch babies and figure out what they are thinking when they can't verbalize what they want. It's fun to watch them learn and acquire skills, she said.
As for her favorite psychologists, Stiffler said Sigmund Freud is not the center of the psychology world. He was good for psychology in that he helped lead others to come up with better ideas.
Stiffler's favorite psychologist, she said, is Carl Rogers. He believes we have it in ourselves to solve our own problems, she said. Rogers also uses the phrase unconditional positive regard, "the ability to love people despite what you know about them," Stiffler said.
With people like that in your life, you can make it through anything, she said.
One of the biggest differences about teaching now compared to when Stiffler started, she said, is the students' homelives.
"I think there are more kids from broken homes than when I started," she said. Some students are harder to connect with because of it.
Teaching is also different because students don't see how education benefits them.
"I think it's harder to get kids to buy into it, to see that it has anything to do with their lives," she said.
Stiffler thinks she has learned how to get them interested. She said, "I think it's being interested in them. That's easy to say, and not so easy to do."
With retirement, Stiffler said, she will be taking it easy. She'll garden, read, play with the grandchildren and work a part-time job.
But she will miss teaching.
"I'm going to miss it," Stiffler said. "I plan to be out of town when school starts. ... I'm going to miss it, but I think it's the perfect time for me to leave."
Teaching has been a privilege, an honor, a joy, a frustration and it made her grow, she said.
Joy and her husband Bob have been married 37 years. Their son, Jamie, has four sons, and their daughter, Jodi Rhoades, has a son and daughter. Another grandchild is on the way.[[In-content Ad]]
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