Former teacher looks back at 34 years of school

Donna Vaughan will view the start of school this year with mixed feelings.

It’s a good feeling in that for the first time in 34 years, she can enjoy an extra cup of coffee and read the newspaper without rushing.

But in another sense, she’s going to miss the students and co-workers who have been an integral part of her life since 1974.

Vaughan taught kindergarten and first grade throughout her career. She taught at Cain Elementary for 15 years until her retirement July 1.

“I always wanted to be a teacher,” she said while seated at a little table in her former classroom at Cain. “My sister wanted to be a nurse. She doctored our dolls and I taught them.”

Vaughan started teaching kindergarten and was then moved to the first grade. She loved her first-graders, but not for long because kindergarten came knocking again.

“I loved it that much more and knew I wanted to teach kindergarten until I retired,” she said. “Kindergartners love school, their teacher and learning. They absorb things so fast. I think you can see the growth more in kindergarten than any other grade.”

Vaughan said “everything is taught in kindergarten,” even subjects that used to be taught in the first and second grades.

“Reading and writing are my favorites,” she said. “I have a program about letters and sounds that I have sworn by since I started teaching.”

The key to teaching kindergarten is keeping the students interested and motivated. Computers help a lot these days, Vaughan said.

“I tried to make learning so much fun that they didn’t realize they were learning,” she said. “I kept them moving from once activity to another. We did a lot of hands-on activities and things that are relevant to them.”

Teaching for 34 years was never boring to Vaughan.

“You never knew what to expect,” she said. “I had new students and new personalities every year. I can’t explain the joy of seeing a child learn, when he or she first realizes, ‘ah ha, it’s coming together and now I can read or now I can write.’ It’s just fun, fun, fun.”

And there just might be something to the book Robert Fulghum wrote titled “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.”

Take the Rules for Good Listening that are posted in the room. They are, “Eyes are watching; Ears are listening; Lips are closed; Hands are still; and Feet are quiet.”

And next to the good listening rules are the Class Rules: “Listen when others are talking, follow directions, keep hands, feet and objects to yourself, work quietly and do not disturb others, show respect for school and personal property and work and play in a safe manner.”

Stephanie Lee, a Francis Marion University graduate, has taught first grade at Cain for eight years. She is a Dillon native living in Florence who did her practice teaching under Vaughan.

“Mrs. Vaughan taught me a lot about how (to) deal with parents and help children who are having problems,” she said. “I learned a lot from her. She is a great mentor.”

Vaughan doesn’t expect to be bored. She plans to substitute teach at Cain and help out when needed. She’s also a member of two bridge clubs, a circle group and a pillar in Central Baptist Church. Her husband, Wilbur, is a retired school administrator and Darlington County deputy coroner.