After teaching for 32 years in the Shoreline School District, which adds up to working with around 1,000 students, Sunset Elementary teacher Ruth Nielsen is retiring.
During her 19 years at Sunset, Nielsen got to know many of the families that have gone through the school. She said she has really enjoyed forming these relationships while working in Shoreline.
“I like the family atmosphere of the district,” she said. The district’s curriculum has also been excellent, and Nielsen said she feels very fortunate to have spent her entire career in the district.
Kathryn Noble, principal at Sunset, said she also feels fortunate to have worked with Nielsen. Noble said Nielsen has maintained an excellent rapport with students and staff alike at Sunset.
“She puts children at the centerpiece,” Noble said. “She gets to know them on a personal level.”
Noble said Nielsen shows interest in whatever her students find interesting. If it is football statistics that interest a student, she will learn how to incorporate that into her teaching to keep the child engaged, Noble said. Nielsen has the ability to make everything she teaches meaningful for her students, which helps make her a wonderful teacher, Noble said.
Nielsen’s mother was a teacher, and she said she always considered becoming a teacher herself. Nielsen’s husband, John, retired three years ago from teaching as well. As is the case with many teachers, there was one person in particular who inspired Nielsen.
“My junior year American history teacher really influenced me,” she said. Nielsen became a history major at Pacific Lutheran University, where she graduated in 1964. That fall, she began working at Ronald Elementary School, which now houses the Shoreline Historical Museum.
Nielsen has been almost solely a sixth-grade teacher, although she taught fifth grade on occasion. That age group is Nielsen’s favorite. She said she feels that children that age really grow a lot as they become young adults.
Nielsen’s favorite memories revolve around spending time with her students. Some of her favorite times are from the sixth-grade trips to Camp Orkila. For one full week, teachers and students enjoy themselves at this YMCA camp, located on Orcas Island in the San Juans, without the distractions of television or the Internet. “They come back different children,” Nielsen said.
Upon retirement, Nielsen intends to travel. In July, she and her husband will spend time in Italy. Nielsen’s dream of visiting Antarctica may come true as well, as she and a friend are planning a trip there for November 2005.
She said she also looks forward to hiking, cooking and growing a real garden. But she said she will miss teaching.
“I want to stay in touch with kids, so I will probably substitute,” she said.
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