Still In Love With Teaching, Clevenger Reluctantly Retires
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
“I absolutely love and am very thankful for my job, but it’s because of my health,” she said during an interview Wednesday afternoon over cappuccino at Courthouse Coffee.
Shirlee has battled breast cancer since April 2010.
“I can’t imagine my life without my kids. My life has been my students for so long, I don’t know what I’m going to do,” she said, tears in her eyes.
Shirlee said the people she works with have been very good to her, and the administration at the high school and central office have been great.
“They’ve been very, very good to me. All the employees have been good with me while I’ve been dealing with cancer,” she said.
She said Principal Troy Akers and Assistant Principal Steve Ferber have bent over backward to support her.
“Out of this cancer, I have met so many new people,” she said.
Shirlee has taught at Warsaw for 28 years, taking only a year off to have a baby.
Shirlee and her husband, Jerry, have three children, all born between 1982 to 1985. Their children, all grown, are Kady, Joe and Johnathan. Kady has one child, with another one on the way.
Originally from Madison, Ind., Shirlee went to college at Indiana University, Bloomington; Indiana University, New Albany; and finished up at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.
Part of the reason for going to three different schools was because she spent several years in Central America. She spent five years in Guatemala and almost two in Honduras. She was in her late 20s by the time she finished schooling.
Shirlee had visited Central America in high school as an exchange student. In college, she went back.
“I fell in love and got married to a diplomat with the Development Bank for the government of Honduras,” she said.
She took a job with the bank before the couple moved back to Guatemala so her husband could become the Second Minister of Agriculture for the country.
“We discovered a bribe in millions of dollars involving the U.S. government so his life was put at risk,” Shirlee said.
The Guatemalan government sent her husband to Italy to get another doctorate to keep him quiet. She returned to the United States, and eventually asked for a divorce.
In Madison, she met Jerry, who was a Hanover graduate. They dated. He was offered a job at Strayer Insurance Co. in Warsaw. Jerry and Shirlee married and moved to Warsaw in 1979.
“I had to go to IUPU Fort Wayne to finish up my degree. I got my master’s, had three babies and taught Spanish. I don’t know how I did it,” she said.
In Guatemala, Shirlee had taught English. But her first job, at WCHS, was the first time she had to teach Spanish. She had several interviews and offers elsewhere, but she wanted to be close to home in the Warsaw area.
Over her years of teaching, Shirlee was the Spanish Club sponsor, a prom sponsor, assistant cheerleader coach and worked with English as a Second Language and exchange students. She also has taught Spanish to adults.
“First, I think you have to have lived in a foreign language to learn it,” she said of teaching Spanish. “I think you have to be excited about being a teacher and the language.”
Shirlee said she loves the Hispanic culture and the language. She especially loves Guatemala because the people are very, very friendly.
“I love the indigenous people who have difficult lives but have big hearts and have interesting lives,” she said. “What bothers me about the Third World is the disparity of the poor.”
What she has enjoyed about teaching at Warsaw, she said, is the diversity of the popularity. There is a large Hispanic population, with more than 300 of the approximate 2,000 students identifying as Latino.
Shirlee said she doesn’t see a huge difference in the kids between now and when she started. Her students are as open with her now as before, and are more sincere than they used to be. She said they don’t hold back, and she likes that.
“You do have to remind kids where they are and it’s about respect, but kids really haven’t changed much,” Shirlee said.
“I’m big on honesty, respect. I really try to build confidence in kids. Trust. Trust is a big issue for me,” she said. “Once I lose trust with someone, it’s hard to get it back. Kids have to understand if they want respect, they have to show respect.”
Shirlee said she does a good job of getting to know the students in her class and in getting her kids to get to know each other in her class. It’s important to her that her classes feel like a kind of family.
One thing she’s learned that she loves over the years about the Hispanic culture is its tightness and family closeness.
“I’m fortunate to live in a community like Warsaw where it has a large Hispanic population. Most of my friends are Hispanic or bilingual,” she said.
On the first day of taking a class, each student picks a Spanish name for themselves. If a student chooses to be called Pedro or Pepe, they are that name forever.[[In-content Ad]]“A lot of my students are doing something with the Spanish language,” Shirlee said. “My son Johnathan is trilingual. He speaks Spanish and Portuguese when he travels. A lot of my (students) do well in Spanish in college.”
Shirlee teaches Honors 3/4, Honors 4 and Honors 5. Honors 5 uses all Advanced Placement material. Her older students also teach Spanish to elementary school students through the Spanish Elementary Education Development program. The school used to have an after-school program, too.
After retiring, Shirlee and Jerry plan to go to Sebring, Fla., where Shirlee will volunteer with the Hispanic population. She also wants to volunteer at WCHS, maybe Jefferson Elementary too, working with the Hispanic students.
“I’m thankful for the years I had at the high school and it will definitely be missed. I try to be there for the kids. It’s not about me, it’s about the kids,” she said.
Growing up poor, Shirlee’s mother wanted her to go to college and believed in her. Shirlee said she never had a teacher who took any interest in her, and that gave her reason to be a teacher who cared about her students.
“I know what it’s like not to have,” she said. “Because of my background, it’s why I’m compassionate for people who don’t have any. I wanted to make sure I help kids.”
In parting, Shirlee said, “I hope I’m always remembered as a caring teacher. Not only by students, but as a person.”
“I absolutely love and am very thankful for my job, but it’s because of my health,” she said during an interview Wednesday afternoon over cappuccino at Courthouse Coffee.
Shirlee has battled breast cancer since April 2010.
“I can’t imagine my life without my kids. My life has been my students for so long, I don’t know what I’m going to do,” she said, tears in her eyes.
Shirlee said the people she works with have been very good to her, and the administration at the high school and central office have been great.
“They’ve been very, very good to me. All the employees have been good with me while I’ve been dealing with cancer,” she said.
She said Principal Troy Akers and Assistant Principal Steve Ferber have bent over backward to support her.
“Out of this cancer, I have met so many new people,” she said.
Shirlee has taught at Warsaw for 28 years, taking only a year off to have a baby.
Shirlee and her husband, Jerry, have three children, all born between 1982 to 1985. Their children, all grown, are Kady, Joe and Johnathan. Kady has one child, with another one on the way.
Originally from Madison, Ind., Shirlee went to college at Indiana University, Bloomington; Indiana University, New Albany; and finished up at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.
Part of the reason for going to three different schools was because she spent several years in Central America. She spent five years in Guatemala and almost two in Honduras. She was in her late 20s by the time she finished schooling.
Shirlee had visited Central America in high school as an exchange student. In college, she went back.
“I fell in love and got married to a diplomat with the Development Bank for the government of Honduras,” she said.
She took a job with the bank before the couple moved back to Guatemala so her husband could become the Second Minister of Agriculture for the country.
“We discovered a bribe in millions of dollars involving the U.S. government so his life was put at risk,” Shirlee said.
The Guatemalan government sent her husband to Italy to get another doctorate to keep him quiet. She returned to the United States, and eventually asked for a divorce.
In Madison, she met Jerry, who was a Hanover graduate. They dated. He was offered a job at Strayer Insurance Co. in Warsaw. Jerry and Shirlee married and moved to Warsaw in 1979.
“I had to go to IUPU Fort Wayne to finish up my degree. I got my master’s, had three babies and taught Spanish. I don’t know how I did it,” she said.
In Guatemala, Shirlee had taught English. But her first job, at WCHS, was the first time she had to teach Spanish. She had several interviews and offers elsewhere, but she wanted to be close to home in the Warsaw area.
Over her years of teaching, Shirlee was the Spanish Club sponsor, a prom sponsor, assistant cheerleader coach and worked with English as a Second Language and exchange students. She also has taught Spanish to adults.
“First, I think you have to have lived in a foreign language to learn it,” she said of teaching Spanish. “I think you have to be excited about being a teacher and the language.”
Shirlee said she loves the Hispanic culture and the language. She especially loves Guatemala because the people are very, very friendly.
“I love the indigenous people who have difficult lives but have big hearts and have interesting lives,” she said. “What bothers me about the Third World is the disparity of the poor.”
What she has enjoyed about teaching at Warsaw, she said, is the diversity of the popularity. There is a large Hispanic population, with more than 300 of the approximate 2,000 students identifying as Latino.
Shirlee said she doesn’t see a huge difference in the kids between now and when she started. Her students are as open with her now as before, and are more sincere than they used to be. She said they don’t hold back, and she likes that.
“You do have to remind kids where they are and it’s about respect, but kids really haven’t changed much,” Shirlee said.
“I’m big on honesty, respect. I really try to build confidence in kids. Trust. Trust is a big issue for me,” she said. “Once I lose trust with someone, it’s hard to get it back. Kids have to understand if they want respect, they have to show respect.”
Shirlee said she does a good job of getting to know the students in her class and in getting her kids to get to know each other in her class. It’s important to her that her classes feel like a kind of family.
One thing she’s learned that she loves over the years about the Hispanic culture is its tightness and family closeness.
“I’m fortunate to live in a community like Warsaw where it has a large Hispanic population. Most of my friends are Hispanic or bilingual,” she said.
On the first day of taking a class, each student picks a Spanish name for themselves. If a student chooses to be called Pedro or Pepe, they are that name forever.[[In-content Ad]]“A lot of my students are doing something with the Spanish language,” Shirlee said. “My son Johnathan is trilingual. He speaks Spanish and Portuguese when he travels. A lot of my (students) do well in Spanish in college.”
Shirlee teaches Honors 3/4, Honors 4 and Honors 5. Honors 5 uses all Advanced Placement material. Her older students also teach Spanish to elementary school students through the Spanish Elementary Education Development program. The school used to have an after-school program, too.
After retiring, Shirlee and Jerry plan to go to Sebring, Fla., where Shirlee will volunteer with the Hispanic population. She also wants to volunteer at WCHS, maybe Jefferson Elementary too, working with the Hispanic students.
“I’m thankful for the years I had at the high school and it will definitely be missed. I try to be there for the kids. It’s not about me, it’s about the kids,” she said.
Growing up poor, Shirlee’s mother wanted her to go to college and believed in her. Shirlee said she never had a teacher who took any interest in her, and that gave her reason to be a teacher who cared about her students.
“I know what it’s like not to have,” she said. “Because of my background, it’s why I’m compassionate for people who don’t have any. I wanted to make sure I help kids.”
In parting, Shirlee said, “I hope I’m always remembered as a caring teacher. Not only by students, but as a person.”
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092