Nash Retiring From Teaching Adventure After Cancer Bouts
July 10, 2020 at 11:37 p.m.
Nash Retiring From Teaching Adventure After Cancer Bouts
By David [email protected]
But after nearly 40 years in the classroom, two bouts with cancer and now the COVID-19 pandemic, she’s decided to retire.
Nash graduated from Anderson University in 1982. At that time, there were not many teaching jobs because a lot of people went into education, “kind of opposite of what it is now, now it’s hard to find teachers to fill positions,” she said. Also at that time, factories in Anderson, where she lived, were closing down and as a result, schools were closed.
“So the chances of me getting a job there were really slim, so I substitute taught for about a year,” Nash said. She found substitute teaching to be great because she could explore teaching different grade levels.
One day at the county fair in Madison County, she ran into a woman who told her that her school in Connersville had some openings. Nash ended up with two part-time third-grade positions in Connersville because two teachers in the same grade level had maternity leave. Unfortunately, the school didn’t have an opening for Nash for the next school year, so she ended up substituting back in Anderson for a semester.
A high school friend had moved to Warsaw and told Nash about a kindergarten teacher opening at Milford Christian Church. It didn’t pay much, so Nash also ended up working at the Warsaw Day Care teaching 4-year-olds in the afternoon, Kline’s Department Store and Cardinal Services.
Teaching jobs are seldom published in the newspaper, but that’s where Nash saw an advertisement from Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation to start its gifted and talented program. Valley needed someone to take classes at Purdue, get their endorsement in gifted education and Nash did that, starting Valley’s program. Unfortunately, Valley’s gifted and talented program started small with only third grade so Nash was still working three jobs. She was at Valley for the 1985-86 school year.
The summer of 1986, Nash and her building principal were at a conference for gifted education. Over the loudspeaker, there was an announcement about a full-time gifted and talented teacher position open at Warsaw Community Schools.
“I live in Warsaw and I don’t even find out about this until I come to Indianapolis for a conference,” Nash said.
Even though Warsaw knew Nash, they didn’t hire her at first, instead going with Gary Mohler. That summer, Mohler got a job with Zimmer and he quit and Nash landed the Warsaw job. She taught gifted and talented to third- and fourth-graders over five years and “loved it, loved it, loved it,” she said.
Nash said it was a great program and was sad to see it go. It went “self-contained,” and Nash was offered the fifth- and sixth-grade self-contained program. However, she was having her first child that year, so she opted to go back to teaching in the regular classroom.
“The funny thing was, here I am nine months pregnant and totally emotional, and that was the year Eisenhower and Harrison were built. So all teachers had the chance to move somewhere if they wanted to,” she said. When the list came out of which teachers were going where, Nash couldn’t find her name on it anywhere. She called then-Superintendent Dr. Lee Harman and – though she tried to be professional about it – her pregnancy hormones kicked in and she cried to him that she couldn’t find her name on the list.
Harman looked at the list and he couldn’t find Nash’s name either, but told her they’d find her a teaching position. She became a first-grade teacher at Atwood.
“I loved Atwood. I loved the small atmosphere. I loved the country kids. Just the family relationships we had there,” Nash said.
She taught at Atwood for eight years. During that time, she not only had her second daughter but also asked about job sharing. At first, she was told no because WCS didn’t allow job sharing. Job sharing is when one person teaches a classroom in the morning, and another teaches that classroom in the afternoon.
“So, I was about to give up, but Dave McGuire was my principal at the time. He said, ‘If you really want this, don’t give up. Find a way to think like a school board thinks.’ He said, ‘Give them facts and figures. Don’t give them an emotional plea,’” Nash recalled.
She and her friend who wanted to job share did the research and came up with enough information to convince the school board it was a “great” idea. She job shared for three years and loved that because she got to balance her home life and work.
After McGuire left and went to Lakeview Middle School, the new Atwood principal didn’t like job sharing so that ended. Nash learned of a fourth-grade teaching job at Harrison Elementary under then-Principal Randy Polston and he hired her there, but she had to come back full time. Nash taught at Harrison for 10 years.
“My favorite part at Harrison is, the last three or four years I was there, Randy allowed Ethel (Ringle) and I to teach multi-age, third and fourth grade. And that was really a lot of fun,” Nash said. She said Polston gave them a lot of teaching freedom to design their own curriculum. “It was just a really neat experience to do multi-age. And that’s what I’ve looked for my whole career: Doing something different.”
Harrison got overcrowded, and four other Warsaw elementaries got new buildings, so teachers were shuffled again. Nash volunteered to go to the new Claypool Elementary School. “I loved Harrison, but I also was ready for a new adventure, and I knew Missy Rees was going to Claypool and she had been our assistant principal at Harrison,” Nash said. She was at Claypool for 10 years. The last two years, she taught music at Claypool and Harrison.
“I loved my career because I loved that I had such variety. I was in different buildings, working with different teachers. I’m just going to miss all the people that I worked with,” she said.
She said the “sad” thing about being ill the last eight years is that emotionally and mentally, she believes she still has so much to offer. She wasn’t planning to retire until at least 65, but physically she doesn’t have the stamina.
“One bout of cancer was enough, but with two bouts I just feel like the stress just contributes to not being healthy. And even though I love teaching, it is a very stressful position and just involves so much of my time. I just thought this was the right time to retire, especially with the COVID virus. Since my colon cancer had gone to my lungs, that makes my breathing not full yet and I’m still having oxygen level problems,” she said.
In her retirement, she said she still has a lot of fun things planned: Center Street Community Theatre and writing children’s books.
Nash will be missed by many who worked with her.
Polston, now a school board member and Combined Community Services executive director, said, “Albert Einstein once said, ‘It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.’ I had the privilege of working with Cindy Nash for several years at Harrison Elementary. This quote exemplifies her perfectly. Over the years as a teacher, she challenged her children every day to fall in love with the educational process. Through her teaching methods, she brought ‘life to the learning process.’ Children looked forward to spending each day with Cindy. Over these years as a teacher, she has made a difference in the lives of so many kids. Cindy will be missed. Thank you so very much for your years of service to the children in Warsaw Community Schools.”
Rees said, “Cindy has greatly impacted the lives of many students and colleagues throughout her teaching career. Those who know Cindy, know her dedication to the profession. She has served in many capacities, which has made an impact on staff and students alike. Cindy is masterful at finding students' passions and talents and equipping them to pursue their dreams. The Claypool staff is grateful to have had the opportunity to educate alongside Cindy for the last 10 years.”
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But after nearly 40 years in the classroom, two bouts with cancer and now the COVID-19 pandemic, she’s decided to retire.
Nash graduated from Anderson University in 1982. At that time, there were not many teaching jobs because a lot of people went into education, “kind of opposite of what it is now, now it’s hard to find teachers to fill positions,” she said. Also at that time, factories in Anderson, where she lived, were closing down and as a result, schools were closed.
“So the chances of me getting a job there were really slim, so I substitute taught for about a year,” Nash said. She found substitute teaching to be great because she could explore teaching different grade levels.
One day at the county fair in Madison County, she ran into a woman who told her that her school in Connersville had some openings. Nash ended up with two part-time third-grade positions in Connersville because two teachers in the same grade level had maternity leave. Unfortunately, the school didn’t have an opening for Nash for the next school year, so she ended up substituting back in Anderson for a semester.
A high school friend had moved to Warsaw and told Nash about a kindergarten teacher opening at Milford Christian Church. It didn’t pay much, so Nash also ended up working at the Warsaw Day Care teaching 4-year-olds in the afternoon, Kline’s Department Store and Cardinal Services.
Teaching jobs are seldom published in the newspaper, but that’s where Nash saw an advertisement from Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation to start its gifted and talented program. Valley needed someone to take classes at Purdue, get their endorsement in gifted education and Nash did that, starting Valley’s program. Unfortunately, Valley’s gifted and talented program started small with only third grade so Nash was still working three jobs. She was at Valley for the 1985-86 school year.
The summer of 1986, Nash and her building principal were at a conference for gifted education. Over the loudspeaker, there was an announcement about a full-time gifted and talented teacher position open at Warsaw Community Schools.
“I live in Warsaw and I don’t even find out about this until I come to Indianapolis for a conference,” Nash said.
Even though Warsaw knew Nash, they didn’t hire her at first, instead going with Gary Mohler. That summer, Mohler got a job with Zimmer and he quit and Nash landed the Warsaw job. She taught gifted and talented to third- and fourth-graders over five years and “loved it, loved it, loved it,” she said.
Nash said it was a great program and was sad to see it go. It went “self-contained,” and Nash was offered the fifth- and sixth-grade self-contained program. However, she was having her first child that year, so she opted to go back to teaching in the regular classroom.
“The funny thing was, here I am nine months pregnant and totally emotional, and that was the year Eisenhower and Harrison were built. So all teachers had the chance to move somewhere if they wanted to,” she said. When the list came out of which teachers were going where, Nash couldn’t find her name on it anywhere. She called then-Superintendent Dr. Lee Harman and – though she tried to be professional about it – her pregnancy hormones kicked in and she cried to him that she couldn’t find her name on the list.
Harman looked at the list and he couldn’t find Nash’s name either, but told her they’d find her a teaching position. She became a first-grade teacher at Atwood.
“I loved Atwood. I loved the small atmosphere. I loved the country kids. Just the family relationships we had there,” Nash said.
She taught at Atwood for eight years. During that time, she not only had her second daughter but also asked about job sharing. At first, she was told no because WCS didn’t allow job sharing. Job sharing is when one person teaches a classroom in the morning, and another teaches that classroom in the afternoon.
“So, I was about to give up, but Dave McGuire was my principal at the time. He said, ‘If you really want this, don’t give up. Find a way to think like a school board thinks.’ He said, ‘Give them facts and figures. Don’t give them an emotional plea,’” Nash recalled.
She and her friend who wanted to job share did the research and came up with enough information to convince the school board it was a “great” idea. She job shared for three years and loved that because she got to balance her home life and work.
After McGuire left and went to Lakeview Middle School, the new Atwood principal didn’t like job sharing so that ended. Nash learned of a fourth-grade teaching job at Harrison Elementary under then-Principal Randy Polston and he hired her there, but she had to come back full time. Nash taught at Harrison for 10 years.
“My favorite part at Harrison is, the last three or four years I was there, Randy allowed Ethel (Ringle) and I to teach multi-age, third and fourth grade. And that was really a lot of fun,” Nash said. She said Polston gave them a lot of teaching freedom to design their own curriculum. “It was just a really neat experience to do multi-age. And that’s what I’ve looked for my whole career: Doing something different.”
Harrison got overcrowded, and four other Warsaw elementaries got new buildings, so teachers were shuffled again. Nash volunteered to go to the new Claypool Elementary School. “I loved Harrison, but I also was ready for a new adventure, and I knew Missy Rees was going to Claypool and she had been our assistant principal at Harrison,” Nash said. She was at Claypool for 10 years. The last two years, she taught music at Claypool and Harrison.
“I loved my career because I loved that I had such variety. I was in different buildings, working with different teachers. I’m just going to miss all the people that I worked with,” she said.
She said the “sad” thing about being ill the last eight years is that emotionally and mentally, she believes she still has so much to offer. She wasn’t planning to retire until at least 65, but physically she doesn’t have the stamina.
“One bout of cancer was enough, but with two bouts I just feel like the stress just contributes to not being healthy. And even though I love teaching, it is a very stressful position and just involves so much of my time. I just thought this was the right time to retire, especially with the COVID virus. Since my colon cancer had gone to my lungs, that makes my breathing not full yet and I’m still having oxygen level problems,” she said.
In her retirement, she said she still has a lot of fun things planned: Center Street Community Theatre and writing children’s books.
Nash will be missed by many who worked with her.
Polston, now a school board member and Combined Community Services executive director, said, “Albert Einstein once said, ‘It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.’ I had the privilege of working with Cindy Nash for several years at Harrison Elementary. This quote exemplifies her perfectly. Over the years as a teacher, she challenged her children every day to fall in love with the educational process. Through her teaching methods, she brought ‘life to the learning process.’ Children looked forward to spending each day with Cindy. Over these years as a teacher, she has made a difference in the lives of so many kids. Cindy will be missed. Thank you so very much for your years of service to the children in Warsaw Community Schools.”
Rees said, “Cindy has greatly impacted the lives of many students and colleagues throughout her teaching career. Those who know Cindy, know her dedication to the profession. She has served in many capacities, which has made an impact on staff and students alike. Cindy is masterful at finding students' passions and talents and equipping them to pursue their dreams. The Claypool staff is grateful to have had the opportunity to educate alongside Cindy for the last 10 years.”
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