RACINE — Dorothy McDonald remembers the moment she realized she wanted to teach. It was thanks to Mrs. Smith, McDonald’s third-grade teacher.
“She got to know us as students,” McDonald said. “I was an introvert, and she helped me come out of my shell. I just loved the way she taught us. She taught the whole person.”
After that school year, McDonald could not imagine herself doing anything else.
“I said, ‘Oh my gosh, I want to be like Mrs. Smith. This is what I want to do,’” McDonald said. “I never had another career choice.”
That enthusiasm remained. This spring, McDonald finished her 32nd and final year teaching second grade in the Racine Unified School District, including the past 24 years at Roosevelt Elementary School, 915 Romayne Ave.
McDonald was one of 51 retirees from RUSD this month. She considered working for another year or two, but the COVID-19 pandemic and a curriculum change contributed to her retirement this year.
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McDonald adored working as an educator, but said she is “overjoyed” to begin the next stage of her life.
“I had some teary eyes, (but) it was more of a happy emotion for me,” McDonald said of the final school day. “It’s almost a guilty joy, because I really loved teaching, but I really love not having to teach again full-time.”
McDonald loved teaching, and Lori Nasci, Roosevelt Elementary principal, said she excelled at it. Nasci has worked in elementary schools for 15 years, and called McDonald the best instructor she has seen.
“I have never met a better teacher,” Nasci said. “She will go above and beyond, always, to make sure that the kids are successful.”
McDonald looked back with fondness and gratitude at her more than three decades of teaching. Her first few years involved challenges, but after getting used to the job, McDonald said the vast majority of her time with students was excellent.
“Out of 32 years, at least 20 of them, I couldn’t believe I was getting paid to do this,” McDonald said. “I’m thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, I could do this for free.’ That’s how much I loved it.”
Her time working at Racine Unified schools is likely not over, though. McDonald plans to be a substitute teacher starting this fall. Nasci said she would gladly welcome McDonald back to Roosevelt as a substitute.
McDonald is also considering teaching a course on classroom management at the college level or for professional development. Classroom management was a challenge early on, but she became an expert after about a dozen years.
“Priority number one was classroom management and connecting with my students,” McDonald said. “Once I could manage my classroom and connect and we’d become a team, academia is just so much easier.”
Nasci agreed. “If the behaviors are not under control, the children cannot learn,” she said. “That’s the bottom line.”
Nasci worked with McDonald for two years and could not remember a time when she was called to McDonald’s room for student behavior issues. “She doesn’t waste a single minute of instruction, but at the same time she makes it fun,” Nasci said.
McDonald was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and moved to Racine in 1980 while in middle school. She graduated from Case High School and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. After college, she taught at North Park Elementary for eight years before moving to Roosevelt.
All of McDonald’s 32 years were spent teaching second grade at RUSD. She enjoyed teaching that grade because it is a transition time for students.
“They do anything they can to show, ‘Hey, I’m a bigger kid now,’” McDonald said. “I just love where they are socially, the mindset of a second-grader. I would say it’s a perfect grade.”
McDonald’s third-grade instructor, Mrs. Smith, was the first of many who helped shape her teaching style. She also received guidance from many peers. When facing an issue, McDonald said it was crucial to humble herself and seek advice from teachers with more experience.
“Either keep doing what you’re doing and get no result, or ask someone and try something new,” McDonald said. “I tell any teacher: Your biggest job as an educator is to look at the staff member who knows how to do the thing you want to do, and go ask. Don’t try to figure it out on your own.”
Other key traits to being a successful teacher include patience and forgiveness.
“You have to have a forgiving heart, because students are not always kind,” McDonald said. “They’re going to say and do things that … rub you the wrong way.”
She initially took things personally when a student said something disrespectful, but learned not to over time. “I started figuring out they’re bringing baggage into the classroom,” McDonald said. “They’re really not mad at you.”
In addition to helpful colleagues, McDonald said her faith and optimism guided her through challenges. One of her biggest challenges was the evolving role of technology. Computers were not used during her first few years teaching, but now students often work on laptops.
McDonald also learned how to teach remotely during the pandemic. Partly due to technology, McDonald said children have shorter attention spans than when she began teaching.
Much has changed in McDonald’s more than three decades of teaching, but she said the fundamental needs of children have not.
“They still want the same things: They want to feel safe, they want to feel loved, they want to feel like you care about them,” McDonald said.
Setting ground rules was key to creating a safe, loving classroom. For McDonald, it was crucial to connect with students and establish procedures in the first few weeks of school. She referred to that time as “21-day boot camp.”
“Teach them everything,” McDonald said. “Literally teach them how to come into the classroom and begin their day … The tiniest things will really go a long way.”
That was particularly important in 2021-22. It was the first full in-person school year for her students, who had kindergarten and first grade disrupted by the pandemic.
McDonald said things started slow, but the students eventually got the hang of things and excelled. She said this past school year involved one of her favorite classes, a fitting end to her career.
“It was just such a blessing,” McDonald said. “What a way to go out.”