School retirees recall lessons they learned

May 20--Editor's Note: It's graduation time for thousands of students in the area ... and a handful of educators will soon commence with retirement. The Appeal-Democrat wanted to give readers a few perspectives from the new retirees -- we recognize there are many others, but we could not get to all of them.

Monica Oakes

While helping with summer school classes at age 7, Monica Oakes knew she wanted to be an educator.

Oakes, 58, is retiring as Kynoch Elementary School's principal after 11 years, but she's not done helping children.

"I plan on doing something else," said Oakes. "I'm not done. There's something else out there that I can do to help kids and help adults help kids."

Prior to becoming principal, Oakes was the vice principal and a math coach for two years at the Marysville school.

"As a coach, I worked with teachers, children and everybody at the school to help bring API scores up," Oakes said.

The Academic Performance Index is a measurement of academic performance and progress of individual schools in the state.

"I'm a linear data person, I use that for everything," Oakes said. "As the math coach, I looked at where kids needed help and worked with the teachers as a team to help the kids."

Born in Kansas, Oakes' father was in civil service and was stationed at Beale Air Force Base.

"The principal at Ella School was my neighbor, and I was helping out with summer school classes," Oakes said.

Later, she went to Yuba Gardens Intermediate School and Marysville High School, where she graduated in three years.

"I worked at JCPenney and in the fields harvesting prunes, peaches, supervising at age 15," Oakes said. "At 16, I worked on the sorting line."

She graduated from California State University, Chico. Following graduation, she worked as an attendance clerk at Alicia School and became a single mother.

"Mom said we could never have idle hands, so I went to work," said Oakes.

She met and married Larry Oakes, a physical education teacher at Alicia school. They have three children, all of whom teach or have taught in their career.

"My daughter Rachel Stevenson teaches at Ella School; Kaycee Crozier is a teacher in Petaluma; and Christopher Oakes works for PG&E in San Francisco, but he taught briefly in Korea," Oakes said.

In retirement, Oakes plans on going to spring training, take a trip to Iowa and visit a teacher friend in Boston.

"I've had a really good career, and I'm ready to do something different," said Oakes.

Barbara Smith

Born and raised in Yuba City, retiring kindergarten teacher Barbara Smith spent her entire 34-year career in the Marysville Joint Unified School District.

"I always had a passion for teaching since I was in junior high school," said Smith, 62, who has been at Ella Elementary School for about seven years. "In high school, for one period, I helped younger kids."

On a recent school day, Smith arrived to class about 45 minutes before the bell rings, and kids are already waiting to see her.

"Kids come in to my class before school and help out with getting the chairs set up and the computers turned on," Smith said. "They want to be involved."

She'll miss the day-to-day interactions with the children but said she'll be back for the first day of school each year and for the occasional substitute opportunity.

"I'll be here for the first day of school -- for the runners, the criers and the huggers," said Smith. "I don't know who cries more -- the kids or the parents."

Smith will miss the students' hugs and the numerous pictures they make and give to her.

"What I'll miss most of all is the brightness in the students' eyes when they get it," Smith said.

She said the Ella School staff is the best that she's ever worked with.

Her husband, Russell, recently retired as an insurance adjuster, and they plan on spending more time with their grandchildren.

For retirement, she's got two trips planned -- for Disneyland and to Hawaii.

Rojelio "Pancho" Perez

Rojelio "Pancho" Perez is on his second retirement, and he doesn't think it'll last long.

Perez, or Pancho, as he's known, retired last month from Bridge Street School, where he was a custodian for the past seven years.

"The kids were nice to me, and I hated to leave the school but the time comes when you have to go," said Perez, 80, who cited injuries as his reason for leaving. "I like to do my job and carry my own weight but I couldn't do it anymore so I have to let go."

Prior to that, he owned Pachco's Big Burger, a popular burger place on Cooper Avenue in Yuba City.

"I retired at age 62 from Pachco's Big Burger and was still running the business after I sold it," said Perez.

Perez, whose family came to the area in 1948 to help harvest peaches and prunes, has also worked in fabrication, construction and says he'll miss the school job.

"I felt at home there because they're good kids," said Perez. "The kids and staff were very nice to me."

His job was to keep 12 classrooms and 4 bathrooms neat and clean.

Karen Crawford

After 34 years as a kindergarten teacher, Karen Crawford is ready to spend her time with her grandchildren.

Crawford, 64, of Yuba City, spent her entire full-time teaching career at Faith Christian Kindergarten School in Yuba City.

"For the last seven years, I've been teaching three days a week so I could spend time with my grandchildren," said Crawford. "I started helping with the seven grandkids we have between two daughters -- both who live out of town."

Born in Kentucky, Crawford moved to Fresno when she was 16 after her father, a pastor, took a job at a church.

"I started teaching when I was a teenager helping at Sunday school classes at the church and fell in love is the idea of teaching young children," said Crawford.

Crawford went on a blind date with her future husband, Dan, who lived in Sacramento at the time. About a year later, they got married and moved to Yuba City.

"I started out as a teacher's assistant at Kynoch School, and when Dan told me there was a job opening at Faith Christian, I applied," Crawford said.

Both of Crawford's daughters attended the school.

"People ask how I can teach the same thing every year, and I tell them, 'I change things up -- constantly changing, re-evaluating and improving,'" Crawford said.

"You get a new class every year, and in kindergarten, there's such a wonderful level of excitement in learning, " Crawford said. "There are so many changes in the kids at that age."

Crawford said she'll miss the students, parents and school staff.

"The last few years, I've taught children whose parents I taught," said Crawford. "I'm going to miss the Faith Christian family -- it's such a family-oriented school."

In retirement, Crawford plans to get back to work in the yard, read more and get more involved in the church she attends, Adventure Church of Yuba City.

CONTACT Chris Kaufman at 749-4794. Find him on Facebook at ADPhotoTeam or on Twitter at @AD_PhotoTeam.

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