Former Teachers Visit Logan Kids

As curious and adventurous as the Logan Elementary kids they were visiting, 82-year-old Ethel Metzger and 88-year-old Elsie Lang wanted to go exploring.

The two former Spokane educators know Logan as a two-story, wood-frame building older than a Model T and full of more stories than Ernest Hemingway.

The school they wandered through Monday - a modern, concrete bunker built in 1994 to replace the antiquated building - was deluxe and a bit odd.

“I’m loving the kids, but I’m also curious about the school,” said Metzger, a former principal of the now defunct Emerson school.

“I opened the door up there” pointing to the stage, “and there is a class full of kids. It’s the stage!” Metzger said.

Metzger, Lang, a former Logan school teacher, and a couple of their friends from Riverview Retirement Center visited the new Logan school to chat and make Christmas decorations with first and second graders in Kim Magner’s combination class.

Marde Miller watched students hacking sheets of construction paper with scissors. Kyla Wallace, 7, said the bell shape she cut out would be sprinkled with gold glitter.

“I’m hooked on kids,” said Miller. “I’d rather be with the kids than adults.”

As Lang leaned over to watch students gluing pretzels onto construction paper, her necklace, oramented with a school house, pencil and yellow bus, bumped the table.

“The kids now live in a different environment,” said Lang, who taught first grade and kindergarten at the old Logan Elementary for about 15 of the 45 years she was in public education.

With a bite of winter in the air and Christmas decorations in their hands, the schoolchildren were understandably excited.

Asked what she was thinking about, Sara Fortier’s seven year-old eyes lit up. “My presents! I want a game ‘Atmosphere.’ You try and play this game and whoever wins and has the most cards … they just win.”

Ernie Crossley, 7, has already found one his presents - a Power Spark Welder. “I snuck a look,” said Crossley.

, DataTimes