Students Made The Difference

To the Editor:

I write this letter on the occasion of my retirement after 22 years of teaching at Newtown High School. Reflecting on those years, I am reminded of the hundreds of students I have taught during that time and of the difference they have made in my life

I began teaching Spanish at Newtown High School in 1979, a young mother with a husband and two growing children. I am not sure exactly what prompted me to return to teaching after a hiatus of ten years, but I do remember some of the second thoughts I had during the summer before that school year began. Fortunately, the young people of Newtown greeted me with warmth that kept me returning to the classroom year after year.

Over the past 22 years, my children have grown up, graduated from college, and moved into careers of their own, while I have moved from Spanish teaching to reading consulting at the high school. The last 12 years have been a busy time during which I coordinated the Reading-Math Tutorial Center at Newtown High School. It is a place where students of all grades and all academic subjects work with a dedicated staff to improve their performance in the subjects they study. What a delightful experience it has been!

 I thank the families of Newtown for their support. Without it I would not have been able to do my job. I have been fortunate indeed to spend my career working with students engaged in reading, writing, and solving problems… lots of them… while showing the world that the Newtown district motto, “All children can and will learn well,” is much more than just a slogan.

Winifred Brickmeier

8 Fox Den Road, Bethel                     June 20, 2001