Where are They Now?? The History of Former Teachers of Pierce Public Schools
Retiree Sandy Silhacek
By Addisyn Ludden
Sandy Silhacek grew up on a farm between Osmond and Pierce with her brother and sister. She graduated from Osmond Public Schools. After attending high school, she went on to Northeast Community College. Silhacek was at Northeast for two years before transferring to Kearney State College, which is now known as the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
Silhacek taught kindergarten at Pierce Elementary for 31 years. Before teaching at Pierce, she taught for three years at Battle Creek. Then, she stayed home for 10 years to raise her daughters, and while doing that, she substituted for Pierce and Hadar Public.
After asking her how Pierce affected her she says, “Positive! My three daughters graduated from Pierce, and I believe we have an excellent school system that benefits all students.”
“My favorite part about teaching was every day was different. You just never knew what your day would be like and there was never a boring moment teaching kindergarten. I did not like all of the testing that they did in kindergarten. Some kindergartners came to school knowing how to read and some came to school not knowing their colors, shapes, alphabet letters, etc. I tried to challenge each child in my classroom. I had literacy centers and some groups would go to those centers as I would take one group and work on the skills that needed to be worked on. If the students who could read would be in my group then I would challenge them to write more and read different levels of books. If I had a group that didn't know their letters of the alphabet yet, then that would be what we would work on. At the end of the year, I would be so happy to see the success that all students had made, even though they were still at different levels. But, at the end of the year, you had to give all kindergartners the same test. Students are not machines, they are individuals, and you shouldn't put them in one basket and expect them all to end up with the same result. Did not and still do not believe in all the testing that is being done. I also did not believe in homework for kindergartners. Students who were very intelligent understood what was being taught and did not need extra homework to do at home. It would be a waste of their time. Let them go home and be kids and have fun. Students who struggled in school worked very hard all day and needed a break from schoolwork. I also wanted them just to go home and forget about schoolwork and again, just be a kid and have fun,” Silhacek states.
Silhacek says there is nothing she would go back and change.
When asked if she has any memories she would like to share she says, “I wished I would have written a book about things that kindergartners said to me or what they did because I could fill up a whole page of memories that happened in kindergarten. But, I'll just give you a few of my memories. One morning the kindergartners had just arrived at school and the school was called off immediately because of a blizzard coming. So I told the students that we had to get ready to go home and one little girl started crying and crying. I asked her what was wrong and she said, "But Mrs. Silhacek, we can't go home yet because we haven't learned anything yet!" Another incident happened when we were in the classroom working on a project, and I kept hearing a strange noise. I finally figured out that it was coming from a certain student and when I went up to him and asked him what that strange noise was that I was hearing. He pulled out a toad from his jeans pocket and said that he found it on the playground and wanted to take it home for his pet! One day I was in the front of the class, teaching, and one little student raised his hand, and I asked what he wanted. He informed me that I had on ugly shoes that day, and he didn't like them. Kindergartners are very honest.”
“Every Friday we always had a fun afternoon making something that went along with the week's curriculum. One Friday we made green eggs and ham. Each child got to break an egg (that was interesting, I always had them crack their egg in an individual dish so I could take out egg shells lol) before they put it in the big bowl. One Friday we made homemade ice cream. Another time they used my butter churn, and we made butter. We also made edible insects. It was an enjoyable time for everyone, and it was a neat way to end the school week,” Silhacek exclaims.
Some advice she would give to older elementary students would be to work hard, be respectful to others, and have fun in school.
After retiring, Silhacek and her husband go camping and fishing a lot. Her hobbies include: reading, cross stitch pictures, biking, hanging out with her grandkids, playing cards with friends, and doing volunteer work for her church and the Senior Center.
“Whatever career you choose, just make sure you enjoy it and love doing it. There's too many people that have to get up and go to work that they dislike. There will be times that you will make mistakes, but if you learn from that mistake, then pick yourself up and move on. Respect others, everyone has different opinions. And finally, life isn't fair. Sometimes we have to suck it up and move on,” Silhacek states.
Retirees - Barb Ellis
By Abbie Cone
Imagine spending decades dedicated to nurturing young minds and guiding students through some of the most pivotal years of their lives. Then, after years of service, these teachers close the doors to their classrooms for the last time and turn the page to a new chapter of their lives. The stories of retired teachers are anything but dull; they offer valuable lessons and insights that can inspire us all. Barb Ellis is a prime example of this; in total, she taught elementary students for 31 years.
Ellis was inspired to become a teacher because of her mother who was also a teacher, but also because of the lack of jobs for women in the 1980s. Her career started when she was 21 years old at the Mormon Trail Community School in Iowa where she taught third and fourth grade science for seven years. Then, after taking 10 years off teaching to raise her two children, she and her family moved to Pierce because of her husband’s job.
Ellis’ first job at Pierce was teaching Title 1 remedial math. When the fourth grade position opened up, she eagerly took the job, and little did she know this would be her job for the rest of her career.
Throughout those 22 years at PES, she found her motivation through her passion for children and desire to educate the future generations in a way that would help them be successful later in life. Some of her most rewarding moments with her fourth graders were when students would give her hugs, or when she would receive cookies from a family during Christmas every year because she did not have a lot of time to make them herself.
Ellis had to balance teaching, parenting, and being involved in her church throughout her life, and found the key to staying on top of her busy life was lesson planning and having a consistent schedule.
“Barb truly wanted the best for her students. She put her heart and soul into the lessons she taught and was always concerned for the well-being of her students,” Lori Wragge remarks about Ellis. Wragge taught fourth grade with Ellis for many years, and they both shared a common vision. “She was detail-oriented, a planner, thinker, very conscientious, honest, and an expert at teaching Nebraska history,” Wragge comments about her teaching strengths. The two teachers enjoyed each other’s company, often laughing about their inabilities when it came to technology.
During her career, Ellis provided tutoring for a few students who were unable to attend school due to illness or other circumstances, and she truly enjoyed this aspect of her work. However, on the other side, some of her least favorite times were substitute teaching while she was still teaching. “I prefer tutoring a lot more than subbing and walking in on somebody else’s preparation, or lack of preparation,” Ellis comments on substitute teaching. She also dislikes teaching during December and May because “They’re hard months to teach because the kids are not very focused, but you still have to prepare them for tests.”
She decided to retire at age 62 after fulfilling career.
Ellis is still very involved with the community, chairing Women’s Connection in Norfolk, and participating in various Bible studies. Visiting her two sons and her grandkids also keeps her busy, and she volunteers her time at her church, Northern Heights Baptist Church in Norfolk.
Looking back on her career, Ellis expressed her love for teaching and children despite the challenges it faced. She finds it extra special when former students of hers send her letters or cards. In retirement, she reflects on a fulfilling career, knowing that her impact on the lives of her students will endure for years to come.
Lori Wragge Retirement Days
By Jana Stone
The days of retirement are good but also sad, and most teachers miss their students just like Lori Wragge.
Wragge is in her seventh year of retirement and loves not being on a schedule. She taught for 36 years in total. Her first two years were at a rural school, and she loved it there. Wragge then left the school and returned to her hometown, Pierce, where she did not think teaching would happen. After returning to Pierce she taught fourth grade for 34 years at Pierce Elementary School.
Wragge got into teaching because that is what her sister went to school for. She followed in her footsteps and after babysitting for many years she found that she had a passion for young children. Wragge’s favorite part of teaching was being with the kids, hearing their stories, watching them grow, and knowing them at a different level than what you taught them.
"She is one of a kind and there can't be a soul alive that doesn't love her! I will always remember Lori for her fun-loving laugh and personality,” third grade teacher Kristie Bruening says.
Ever since Wragge ended her teaching career, she now misses the kids and the fact that she no longer knows the kids in the schools anymore. She also misses all of her coworkers and them getting together. Wragge ended up teaching for so many years because she loved the children and she wanted to see the kids progressing throughout their high school years after teaching them.
Nowadays Wragge is part of several organizations to keep herself busy with work. Some of these include: Women’s Connections, helping with the Red Cross blood drives and at the senior center, and being on the housing authority board. She also spends her time with her friends and catching up with them. Wragge has also thought about traveling with her sister but still has not done that yet.
“Never give up, keep trying, and be consistent,” Wragge says. “Everyone has positive qualities so use them and be true to yourself and who you are.”
Some of Wragge’s most valuable gifts she received from students were homemade trinkets, ornaments, and homemade gifts. These are special to her because they show how much a student has grown throughout the years of teaching.
Phyllis Wood’s Retirement
By Alanna McKeown
Former science teacher turned technology coordinator Phyllis Wood retired in May 2012. She taught for 40 years all together, at the old high school and in the current high school building.
Wood taught physics, eighth grade earth science, and general math, then transitioned to the position of the district’s technology coordinator.
“I switched from teaching all those science classes when the school realized they had quite a bit of money wrapped up in computers. They needed somebody to know for sure where they all were, and to keep them all running. And so then my teaching became more teaching teachers, because nobody knew how to use them at the beginning,” Wood stated.
After Wood retired, one of her former students and later teaching colleague, Treva Dostal, took over her position as the tech lady.
“Mrs. Wood was a stickler for details. She was very efficient and organized. Her forward thinking and leadership has greatly affected how Pierce Public Schools operates and functions at a very high level,” Dostal stated.
Wood’s favorite thing about teaching was interacting with kids and to be involved in their lives. She liked the same kind of things the students liked such as going to football, basketball, and volleyball games.
Her least favorite thing about teaching was when kids misbehaved because she did not like confrontation.
Now that Wood is retired she enjoys not having to be somewhere early in the morning all dressed up.
Thank you to Wood for all her years of service to Pierce Public Schools.
