Many rewards for retiring C-S Elementary School principal
By Bruce Rolfe
After 25 years in public education as a teacher and principal, Climax-Scotts Elementary School Principal Teri Peters will be retiring at the end of June.
Peters, who is completing her 15th year as C-S Elementary School Principal, also served 10 years as a teacher and was a licensed daycare provider for 13 years.
Her last official day with the district will be June 30.
Peters said the interview team has worked to select the best candidate, and Dr. William McClain has accepted the position. She said he comes to the district from Virginia
with 27 years of experience and is eager to meet everyone at the August open house.
Peters said she developed an interest in teaching when she was in fourth grade and remembers being fascinated how her teachers could teach multiple subjects in a classroom of 25 kids.
“I was fascinated with that process. I just liked working with kids. I liked teaching them things, so I thought I need to be a teacher, but I did it later in life,” said Peters.
Peters, who holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership, a BA in Elementary Education, Middle School English Language Arts (ELA) and Middle School Science, (all from Western Michigan University), said after a period of time helping young children as a daycare provider, she pursued her aspirations of becoming a teacher.
She taught at the 1st, 4th and 5th grade levels in the Comstock School District and 5th grade Science in the Galesburg-Augusta School District before coming to Climax-Scotts.
Originally from Kalamazoo, Peters said it was while she was teaching an ELA course at WMU she developed an ambition of supporting elementary teachers in their work with students and sought the C-S principal position.
She said a welcoming environment and smaller school district where families all know and support one another is something she admired and drew her to C-S where she secured her first role as an administrator as the elementary school principal beginning with the 2011-2012 school year.
“The support and friendships I have had with families through my years here is something I will always cherish. The C-S team is similar in their thinking in that we are all working together for the greater good of our students to help them thrive not only academically, but socially and emotionally as well. It has been a wonderful fifteen years watching our ‘littles’ become grown, productive adults. The teaching and support staff have all been amazing through the years, and we strive hard to work as a team family.
This means we not only care about our community’s families and children, but we also help to care for each other,” said Peters.
Peters has been happy to see how students and staff have benefitted from two bond proposals that were passed by C-S School District voters in 2018 and 2023.
Part of the bond initiative was driven by a spike in enrollment in the C-S School District, especially at the elementary school.
Peters feels the small school environment where staff knows nearly every child and a desire to create a positive school culture for students to thrive in at the C-S Elementary School, has been attractive for many families.
“Bigger schools may have other types of opportunities, but it is rare to find a school community that is so close knit. We all know each other and care about each other not only academically but personally as well. Students who attend our school from PreK-graduation typically build very strong, solid friendships with their peers and educators,” said Peters, who said she has had some school of choice families tell her that Climax-Scotts is a hidden gem, something she cannot agree more with.
In many cases, smaller school districts are recognized as a brief stop to pursue bigger opportunities professionally and financially. However Peters found the longer she stayed at C-S the more committed she became supporting the school, school district and her colleagues.
“A bigger salary does not necessarily equal greater happiness. I loved being part of watching our dedicated community pass the bonds and participating in what it meant for our school community. Six years ago, that bond brought our students and teaching staff all new furniture, carpeting, technology, a much needed parking lot, etc. One year ago, we continued to make our facilities an amazing place to learn and work in by expanding the Pre-K wing, adding a new gymnasium, installing air conditioning throughout, new flooring, more secure entrances, etc. This fall we are adding two new curriculums as ours were outdated. We are always striving to find better ways to teach our students in these important foundational years, so we applied for and received a grant for our new ELA curriculum and we purchased a new math curriculum,” explained the retiring elementary school principal.
She said the ELA and math coaches have worked hard to pilot several different curricula to find the very best teaching tools for classrooms. Teachers will receive professional development this spring and fall so they can deliver an exceptional academic experience to students.
“We are always striving to make our facilities and our teaching better for the community we serve, and I love this about our small school. Once you’ve been part of the best, there is no reason to look any further. I have been blessed to be here,” observed Peters.
She said being a leader of a small school brings many rewards. She gets to work alongside teachers to support them in their teaching practices; coach students through difficult situations; reward students through monthly celebrations; work within teams to hire staff; create leadership teams within the building to assist with things like selecting curriculum, developing “the whole child”; bring teams together to develop and deliver necessary professional development; and help shape how the local elementary school will look with the improvements that have been made.
“Being blessed to serve in a small school and district meant I got to be part of many types of teaching, learning, building, developing, and I would not have wanted it any other way,” said Peters.
Peters adds she has also found it rewarding when a student may struggle at an early age but when it comes time to advance into the junior high or a higher level there has been significant growth in academic achievement.
“It is the best thing to see a kid, whether they struggled academically, or sometimes they’re just struggling behaviorly or emotionally. And then by the time they hit fourth, fifth grade or even middle school or high school and I can see they’ve worked it out, whatever it was, I’m their biggest cheerleader. I know they’ve overcome those obstacles. I just love that,” said Peters, who said both the elementary and Jr./Sr. High School teams work together to support the academic and emotional growth for successful student outcomes.
The soon to be retired building principial said she and her colleagues have seen many changes the past couple of decades in education.
Advancements in technology has brought some wonderful benefits to the classroom. She said it has been fascinating to see what children can access and learn about today’s world through knowledge available at their fingertips. She feels students are better informed than in any other generation. Technology is allowing children to learn so much more that will transfer to necessary skills later in life.
While advancements in technology has brought improved educational opportunities into the classroom, Peters said educators have become concerned with some negative outcomes from technology use.
This has created quite a change in today’s student.
The C-S Elementary School Principal said children are being handed devices at younger ages which causes them to need to talk and interact with those around them less.
“This leads to our youngest learners coming to school at ages 3, 4 or 5 with less vocabulary and speaking skills. Additionally, students of all ages who spend a significant amount of time on devices become accustomed to being rewarded with immediate information and stimulation. Games are filled with rapid lights, sounds, pops, and movement,” points out Peters, who said staff has seen a spike in young children requiring speech specialized services.
While it is fine to allow children access to the fun of technology, Peters said educators are seeing that children are struggling with understanding how to be productive on their own.
“They find it more difficult to sit and listen to a lesson, interact with the teacher and peers. AI also prevents us from learning how to write creatively on our own and work on our problem-solving skills. Children are never left to be ‘bored’ for a moment without filling up space with so much stimulation, and this shows up at times as stress and anxiety in their work and relationships,” observed Peters.
The building principal said teachers in her school recognize a need for balance. She said teachers teach many lessons in a traditional face to face setting with a whiteboard and hand written messages, however there is the need to teach and understand technology because M-STEP state testing is done on a chromebook.
There has also been quite a bit of change with state mandated requirements and testing since she started teaching and became a building principal.
She feels some state testing has been pushed to an extreme level. What likely began as the need to hold educators accountable to the teaching of necessary standards and then seeing what our children have learned in a given year, has now become an over-abundant number of hours taking state tests from third grade on.
She said an example of some of that frustration is this year fourth grade students at the elementary school were asked to take the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), widely known as the Nation’s Report Card. After quite a bit of organization at the elementary school to make that happen, NAEP is not required to share the results with the local school.
She hopes there will be a shift that will allow more time for classroom teaching, a bit less time testing, and collaboration of test results so educators can work together for better outcomes for students.
Peters said with retirement approaching, she is looking forward to spending more time with her parents, husband, children, and grandchildren. She also enjoys baking and has begun selling custom cookies and cakes, so she hopes more time will help her develop those skills further.
Peters said she will miss the students, community and the team family she worked alongside every day the most.
After 25 years in public education as a teacher and principal, Climax-Scotts Elementary School Principal Teri Peters will be retiring at the end of June.
Peters, who is completing her 15th year as C-S Elementary School Principal, also served 10 years as a teacher and was a licensed daycare provider for 13 years.
Her last official day with the district will be June 30.
Peters said the interview team has worked to select the best candidate, and Dr. William McClain has accepted the position. She said he comes to the district from Virginia
with 27 years of experience and is eager to meet everyone at the August open house.
Peters said she developed an interest in teaching when she was in fourth grade and remembers being fascinated how her teachers could teach multiple subjects in a classroom of 25 kids.
“I was fascinated with that process. I just liked working with kids. I liked teaching them things, so I thought I need to be a teacher, but I did it later in life,” said Peters.
Peters, who holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership, a BA in Elementary Education, Middle School English Language Arts (ELA) and Middle School Science, (all from Western Michigan University), said after a period of time helping young children as a daycare provider, she pursued her aspirations of becoming a teacher.
She taught at the 1st, 4th and 5th grade levels in the Comstock School District and 5th grade Science in the Galesburg-Augusta School District before coming to Climax-Scotts.
Originally from Kalamazoo, Peters said it was while she was teaching an ELA course at WMU she developed an ambition of supporting elementary teachers in their work with students and sought the C-S principal position.
She said a welcoming environment and smaller school district where families all know and support one another is something she admired and drew her to C-S where she secured her first role as an administrator as the elementary school principal beginning with the 2011-2012 school year.
“The support and friendships I have had with families through my years here is something I will always cherish. The C-S team is similar in their thinking in that we are all working together for the greater good of our students to help them thrive not only academically, but socially and emotionally as well. It has been a wonderful fifteen years watching our ‘littles’ become grown, productive adults. The teaching and support staff have all been amazing through the years, and we strive hard to work as a team family.
This means we not only care about our community’s families and children, but we also help to care for each other,” said Peters.
Peters has been happy to see how students and staff have benefitted from two bond proposals that were passed by C-S School District voters in 2018 and 2023.
Part of the bond initiative was driven by a spike in enrollment in the C-S School District, especially at the elementary school.
Peters feels the small school environment where staff knows nearly every child and a desire to create a positive school culture for students to thrive in at the C-S Elementary School, has been attractive for many families.
“Bigger schools may have other types of opportunities, but it is rare to find a school community that is so close knit. We all know each other and care about each other not only academically but personally as well. Students who attend our school from PreK-graduation typically build very strong, solid friendships with their peers and educators,” said Peters, who said she has had some school of choice families tell her that Climax-Scotts is a hidden gem, something she cannot agree more with.
In many cases, smaller school districts are recognized as a brief stop to pursue bigger opportunities professionally and financially. However Peters found the longer she stayed at C-S the more committed she became supporting the school, school district and her colleagues.
“A bigger salary does not necessarily equal greater happiness. I loved being part of watching our dedicated community pass the bonds and participating in what it meant for our school community. Six years ago, that bond brought our students and teaching staff all new furniture, carpeting, technology, a much needed parking lot, etc. One year ago, we continued to make our facilities an amazing place to learn and work in by expanding the Pre-K wing, adding a new gymnasium, installing air conditioning throughout, new flooring, more secure entrances, etc. This fall we are adding two new curriculums as ours were outdated. We are always striving to find better ways to teach our students in these important foundational years, so we applied for and received a grant for our new ELA curriculum and we purchased a new math curriculum,” explained the retiring elementary school principal.
She said the ELA and math coaches have worked hard to pilot several different curricula to find the very best teaching tools for classrooms. Teachers will receive professional development this spring and fall so they can deliver an exceptional academic experience to students.
“We are always striving to make our facilities and our teaching better for the community we serve, and I love this about our small school. Once you’ve been part of the best, there is no reason to look any further. I have been blessed to be here,” observed Peters.
She said being a leader of a small school brings many rewards. She gets to work alongside teachers to support them in their teaching practices; coach students through difficult situations; reward students through monthly celebrations; work within teams to hire staff; create leadership teams within the building to assist with things like selecting curriculum, developing “the whole child”; bring teams together to develop and deliver necessary professional development; and help shape how the local elementary school will look with the improvements that have been made.
“Being blessed to serve in a small school and district meant I got to be part of many types of teaching, learning, building, developing, and I would not have wanted it any other way,” said Peters.
Peters adds she has also found it rewarding when a student may struggle at an early age but when it comes time to advance into the junior high or a higher level there has been significant growth in academic achievement.
“It is the best thing to see a kid, whether they struggled academically, or sometimes they’re just struggling behaviorly or emotionally. And then by the time they hit fourth, fifth grade or even middle school or high school and I can see they’ve worked it out, whatever it was, I’m their biggest cheerleader. I know they’ve overcome those obstacles. I just love that,” said Peters, who said both the elementary and Jr./Sr. High School teams work together to support the academic and emotional growth for successful student outcomes.
The soon to be retired building principial said she and her colleagues have seen many changes the past couple of decades in education.
Advancements in technology has brought some wonderful benefits to the classroom. She said it has been fascinating to see what children can access and learn about today’s world through knowledge available at their fingertips. She feels students are better informed than in any other generation. Technology is allowing children to learn so much more that will transfer to necessary skills later in life.
While advancements in technology has brought improved educational opportunities into the classroom, Peters said educators have become concerned with some negative outcomes from technology use.
This has created quite a change in today’s student.
The C-S Elementary School Principal said children are being handed devices at younger ages which causes them to need to talk and interact with those around them less.
“This leads to our youngest learners coming to school at ages 3, 4 or 5 with less vocabulary and speaking skills. Additionally, students of all ages who spend a significant amount of time on devices become accustomed to being rewarded with immediate information and stimulation. Games are filled with rapid lights, sounds, pops, and movement,” points out Peters, who said staff has seen a spike in young children requiring speech specialized services.
While it is fine to allow children access to the fun of technology, Peters said educators are seeing that children are struggling with understanding how to be productive on their own.
“They find it more difficult to sit and listen to a lesson, interact with the teacher and peers. AI also prevents us from learning how to write creatively on our own and work on our problem-solving skills. Children are never left to be ‘bored’ for a moment without filling up space with so much stimulation, and this shows up at times as stress and anxiety in their work and relationships,” observed Peters.
The building principal said teachers in her school recognize a need for balance. She said teachers teach many lessons in a traditional face to face setting with a whiteboard and hand written messages, however there is the need to teach and understand technology because M-STEP state testing is done on a chromebook.
There has also been quite a bit of change with state mandated requirements and testing since she started teaching and became a building principal.
She feels some state testing has been pushed to an extreme level. What likely began as the need to hold educators accountable to the teaching of necessary standards and then seeing what our children have learned in a given year, has now become an over-abundant number of hours taking state tests from third grade on.
She said an example of some of that frustration is this year fourth grade students at the elementary school were asked to take the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), widely known as the Nation’s Report Card. After quite a bit of organization at the elementary school to make that happen, NAEP is not required to share the results with the local school.
She hopes there will be a shift that will allow more time for classroom teaching, a bit less time testing, and collaboration of test results so educators can work together for better outcomes for students.
Peters said with retirement approaching, she is looking forward to spending more time with her parents, husband, children, and grandchildren. She also enjoys baking and has begun selling custom cookies and cakes, so she hopes more time will help her develop those skills further.
Peters said she will miss the students, community and the team family she worked alongside every day the most.
––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
https://legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available
