Anna Faltermeier/Sun TribuneEllen Nelson hands a paper back to a student during reading evaluations in the computer lab May 6 at Eastgate Middle School. Nelson is retiring after 30 years of teaching.
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After 30 years, electrician of the mind prepares to retire
Eastgate instructional coach among large group of well-experienced educators honored by North Kansas City Schools
By Ray Weikal
After 30 years of being an educator in North Kansas City Schools, Ellen Nelson is getting ready for some long afternoon tea times and thick novels.
Nelson is one of 53 district staff and faculty who will be retiring at the end of the month. They were honored during a Tuesday, May 13, banquet at Harrah’s North Kansas City.
For Nelson and many of her colleagues, success as educators has been a process of learning how to do the hard work of actually helping kids. If Nelson could, she would go back to her first day as a teacher in 1978 and give a little pep talk.
“I’d say, ‘Hold on, you’re going to have a great ride,’” Nelson said.
Nelson was raised in the central Missouri town of Brookfield. Education, as they say, was in her blood. Nelson’s grandmother and mother were both teachers. A grandfather, WW Chick, was president of the North Kansas City Schools Board of Education in the 1950s.
“It was kind of a legacy for me,” Nelson said.
After graduating with an education degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia, Nelson and husband Tim decided to move to Kansas City. She ended up teaching in classrooms for 24 years, half that time at Chouteau Elementary School and the balance as a sixth-grade teacher at Eastgate Middle School. Along the way, Nelson worked with about 600 kids.
“That’s a lot of kids whose lives I touched,” Nelson said.
About six years ago, district officials decided they needed Nelson to use her experience to help teachers become better at their jobs. In her new position as an instructional coach, she oversaw curriculum development, gathered resources and did literacy testing, among other jobs.
“In a way, I’m kind of the teacher’s counselor, somewhat,” she said.
Nelson’s legacy lives on in her family, co-workers and students. Her son is a music educator. Recently, she got a letter from a University of Florida professor who described a student’s glowing essay about Nelson.
“You don’t set out to get those kinds of letters,” Nelsons said. “But when they come, you realize you did have a positive impact.”
When Nelson leaves, she can’t be replaced, according to Eastgate Middle School Principal Dan Clemmons.
“The hardest thing to replace is her personality,” Clemmons said. “She understands the whole spectrum of kids, she knows every best practice, she understands the curriculum.”
Nelson sees education as essentially the same, even after 30 years. The moment of clarity for a student is still a thrill, Nelson said.
“The expectations that I had in 1978 are pretty much the same,” she said. “I love to watch the light bulbs go on and make those smiles happen.”
Staff writer Ray Weikal can be reached at 389-6637 or rayweikal@npgco.com.
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Nelson is one of 53 district staff and faculty who will be retiring at the end of the month. They were honored during a Tuesday, May 13, banquet at Harrah’s North Kansas City.
For Nelson and many of her colleagues, success as educators has been a process of learning how to do the hard work of actually helping kids. If Nelson could, she would go back to her first day as a teacher in 1978 and give a little pep talk.
“I’d say, ‘Hold on, you’re going to have a great ride,’” Nelson said.
Nelson was raised in the central Missouri town of Brookfield. Education, as they say, was in her blood. Nelson’s grandmother and mother were both teachers. A grandfather, WW Chick, was president of the North Kansas City Schools Board of Education in the 1950s.
“It was kind of a legacy for me,” Nelson said.
After graduating with an education degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia, Nelson and husband Tim decided to move to Kansas City. She ended up teaching in classrooms for 24 years, half that time at Chouteau Elementary School and the balance as a sixth-grade teacher at Eastgate Middle School. Along the way, Nelson worked with about 600 kids.
“That’s a lot of kids whose lives I touched,” Nelson said.
About six years ago, district officials decided they needed Nelson to use her experience to help teachers become better at their jobs. In her new position as an instructional coach, she oversaw curriculum development, gathered resources and did literacy testing, among other jobs.
“In a way, I’m kind of the teacher’s counselor, somewhat,” she said.
Nelson’s legacy lives on in her family, co-workers and students. Her son is a music educator. Recently, she got a letter from a University of Florida professor who described a student’s glowing essay about Nelson.
“You don’t set out to get those kinds of letters,” Nelsons said. “But when they come, you realize you did have a positive impact.”
When Nelson leaves, she can’t be replaced, according to Eastgate Middle School Principal Dan Clemmons.
“The hardest thing to replace is her personality,” Clemmons said. “She understands the whole spectrum of kids, she knows every best practice, she understands the curriculum.”
Nelson sees education as essentially the same, even after 30 years. The moment of clarity for a student is still a thrill, Nelson said.
“The expectations that I had in 1978 are pretty much the same,” she said. “I love to watch the light bulbs go on and make those smiles happen.”
Staff writer Ray Weikal can be reached at 389-6637 or rayweikal@npgco.com.