Retiring teachers honored for decades of inspiring children

By Brian Johnson

Nevada Daily Mail

For a combined six decades, two Truman Elementary School teachers connected with children, helped revitalize special student programs and inspired their colleagues.

In other words, they made a difference.

On Monday, teachers from across the Nevada R-5 School District came together to honor those teachers -- Carol Miller from Bryan Elementary and Dee Pierson from Truman Elementary. Both will retire at the end of the school year.

Both were honored at the Community Teachers Association Retirement Tea for their combined 60 years of teaching.

"Our two retirees should feel honored for the years they have spent teaching children," said CTA president Ranea Schulze. "We were lucky to have them here for so many years."

Throughout the event, the two women were thanked for touching the lives of not only their students, but the faculty as well.

According to Bryan Elementary principal Deb Spaur, Miller would routinely take time out of her life to help her students.

"Throughout her teaching career, Carol took personal time to get involved in the children's life," Spaur said. "She wanted to know what kind of living environment her students had."

Giving extra attention to her students wasn't the only accomplishments Miller made at Bryan Elementary.

In her speech honoring Miller, Spaur said before Miller came to Nevada, the two elementary schools didn't have much of a special education program.

But Spaur says because of Miller the programs are something this city can be proud of.

"You can't replace a Carol Miller," Spaur said. "It's impossible to do."

For Pierson, leaving the job she had for the last 31 years will be hard, because she truly loved teaching, said Patty Hallam, principal at Truman Elementary.

"Teaching is Dee's lifelong passion," Hallam said. "She has done a tremendous job during her career here. She has taught at every grade level and did a tremendous job."

According to Hallam, one reason she thinks Pierson was such a good teacher was her deep connection to children.

"Children love her," Hallam said. "They are naturally drawn to her."

At the end of the school year, Miller and Pierson will pack their things into a box and say goodbye to their students one last time.

But they will never say goodbye the 60 years of memories they have teaching children.

"I'm going to miss the students most of all," Pierson said.