Otis teacher, librarian wrap it up
Two close friends plan to walk out the door of Otis Orchards Elementary School together on the last day of school. Both are teachers, and both are leaving 31-year careers with the East Valley School District.
Diane Woodman, a librarian, and Mary Lou McHenry, a fourth-grade teacher, have spent the majority of those 31 years as co-workers educating kids at the same school.
McHenry started at Otis in 1976 and never left. Woodman began as a Trent Elementary School kindergarten teacher from 1975 to 1980, when she took a one-year leave of absence to interview with a then-quiet company called Microsoft.
“That’s when computers were just starting,” said Woodman. “My friends convinced me to come back to teaching because they said computers were just like the Hula-Hoop, just a fad.”
Woodman returned, that time as Otis’ librarian, and stayed for 26 years, befriending McHenry and many others within the tight-knit school community. “Otis Orchards is a wonderful community,” Woodman said. “You teach generations of children.”
“We’ve been here long enough that we teach the kids’ kids,” added McHenry, who started her career teaching third grade for 15 years and then switched to fourth grade for 16 years. She never thought about transferring to another school.
“I just couldn’t leave this building,” McHenry said. “The most wonderful friendships have developed from the staff here. Diane was in my wedding. “We’ve traveled together. We’ve been through births, deaths, divorce, tragedies and wonderful celebrations.”
Both women have other experiences in common. Both raised one son and are now grandmothers to two grandchildren each: one boy and one girl.
Both Woodman and McHenry said that children, over time, haven’t really changed. They mainly want teachers who are supportive.
“They still love recess,” Woodman added. “They still love to tell you about their weekend. Kids in general haven’t changed. They want love and attention.”
“They know this is a community,” said McHenry. “The kids know we’re there for them. There are so many acts of kindness within this building. Everyone knows everyone’s names. We know their parents.”
Both also described a few changes over three decades – more testing of students, a few homeless children in recent years, emerging technology in schools and greater diversity among families from different cultures.
“The diversity is to our benefit,” Woodman said. “There are so many more cultures and languages among students.”
McHenry echoed that the changes reflect today’s world. “Schools are a microcosm of society. There are homeless kids. We never saw that before.”
Woodman, who lives in Freeman, serves on the Freeman School District board. She plans to continue that role while doing some traveling. While at Otis, Woodman often arranged speakers for school assemblies, including Vernon Baker, an African American Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, and astronaut Michael Anderson, in 1999.
“Librarians are teachers,” Woodman said. “Our classroom is the library. We still do report cards, and we see all the kids, kindergarten through fifth-grade.”
McHenry, a Liberty Lake resident, will soon trade her teacher’s role for a job with an orthopedist in the Valley. She said that on the last day of school next Thursday, she and Woodman expect an emotional departure.
“Di and I are walking out the door together,” McHenry added. “It’s very emotional. We’re going to walk out and go to lunch.”
They’ll wear a visitor’s tag the next time they enter a school, but both agreed that once a teacher, always a teacher. Combined, they’ve taught thousands of students.
“You know all of the students,” added Woodman. “They touched our lives just as much as we touched theirs. You never forget. It never leaves you.”