I Interviewed My Mom about Her 43 Years of Teaching and How She is Now Welcoming Retirement

Image of Faye Simpson and Norfolk Junior High faculty.

Copy by: Jenna Thu
Creative Direction: Catie Menke

My mom, Faye Simpson, retired from teaching in May of 2020 after 43 years of serving her students and their families. Thirty-nine of those years were spent at the same school, which is an incredible feat. She was neither ready to, nor wanting to retire, but felt it was her time. It was a very bizarre end of her career as the Covid-19 pandemic made it so she couldn’t teach in person for the last few months, or say goodbye to her beloved students and coworkers. She never really got the closure she needed, and is working to find her new day-to-day life without teaching. She still cries if you talk to her about retiring, and my mom isn’t a crier!

Teaching was her calling and her true passion. During her 43 years she opened thousands of minds to foreign languages by teaching French and Spanish, as well as allowing her students to experience different cultures while living in small-town Norfolk, Nebraska. She also took student and adult groups abroad to Mexico, and to Europe 9 different times, which gave many people their first experience of international travel. She truly is a gem and I aspire to be just like her. With the theme of the month on catiemenke.com being Closure, I found it the perfect time to interview my oh-so-inspiring mother.

Image of Faye Simpson. Photograph by: Jenna Thu.

What are a few of the best things about teaching?

The best thing about teaching is the amazing people you meet, especially those students who you have in class. They have such a variety of personalities, backgrounds, and unique traits. I’ve had students who spoke Mayan languages, students who had spent time in refugee camps in Asia and Africa, a couple of students who had lived in a boarding school in Switzerland, one who had worked in a sugar-cane field in Guatemala, and a few others who had never left the state. Each one was interesting and unique, and I learned something from all of them.

Furthermore, students can say and do the funniest and most unexpected things, as well as command your undivided attention, and that can brighten your day enormously! There are dedicated and inspiring colleagues too, but there is a special relationship with someone who has been in your class. Another great thing about teaching is the chance to be creative and try new ways to help students learn.

Share an endearing story or two about a student, coworker or a memory of teaching?

Sometimes something very simple may make a big difference in a young person’s school experience. Once, I went to a Fiesta de los Quince (15 year old birthday) and ran into a former student who had only been in my homeroom, not my class, for just a couple of months before the end of the school year. He immediately came up and wanted to thank me for the difference I had made in his life. He was now an adult and a small-business owner, and to be honest I didn’t really feel like I’d done anything special. I could see that he was a student who might have difficulty fitting in, so naturally I tried to make him feel welcome in my class. He told me that at the time he moved here, he and his parents were living in their car and it was a very tough time. He said that I smiled and seemed genuinely happy to see him and talk to him a bit every day. I sometimes spoke a little Spanish to him and I asked him how he was, etc. and he said it made a huge difference and that he would never forget it. It’s humbling sometimes to think of the effect you can have with very simple actions.

Another fond memory was when two sisters told me about the time they were together in Paris walking down the Champs-Elysees. They remembered the song “Aux Champs Elysees” that I had taught them in 9th grade French class, and they sang it together and laughed that they both remembered it. That warms my heart! Through students I was invited to, and attended many graduation parties, weddings, baby-showers, Latino 15 year-old birthday parties, and baptisms. In addition to the joy and pleasure I got from attending these events, they also helped improve my language skills, cultural understanding, and what I learned I could then share.

One of my first years teaching at Norfolk Junior High, an 8th grade boy who was one of the “tough kids” in school told me that If I’d give him the names of any students who gave me trouble in class, he would “take care of them”. He said, “I won’t hurt them but I’ll make sure they know that they need to behave in your class.” He later spent some time in prison so I actually think he meant what he said! Now, he has completely turned his life around. It still makes me chuckle to think about how serious he was back then. A few years back, he had children of his own in junior high and he asked me for some guidance in helping his son with some reading problems. It was always a joy having the children of former students in class, and that has happened many, many times! Seeing that your students have gone on to become good parents who are encouraging their children to learn and to be good people is really a special experience.

Many times I have run into former students who have told me that they still eat some ethnic food that they tried for the first time in my class, or that they remember and can still sing some little song I taught them to help memorize part of a lesson. They are usually excited to see me and that makes me feel happy. I know of four former students that are now foreign language teachers, and many more that have gone on to become teachers. That also gives me some closure because one hopes that they carry with them something that they learned from you. In that way teaching touches the future.

What is something you wish others knew about your career?

Teaching at every level can be very hard, but it is also an extremely rewarding and meaningful career. Most teachers work many hours outside of school and really worry about always doing their best for their students.

What advice do you give to other teachers?

I typically advise teachers to not be too hard on themselves. Do what you can to do your best, but don’t think you have to be the difference in every single student’s life. Another teacher may fill that void. The difference you make in their lives may be something as simple as smiling and chatting, or something small that they learn from you and remember. Encourage others and let them know that they matter, but be kind and forgiving of imperfections in yourself and in others. Remind yourself of the good things that you do!

How do you feel about retirement and how are you finding closure?

I believe that I am beginning to accept and enjoy retirement. A few weeks ago I started teaching private French lessons to two children who are being homeschooled, and that has made a huge difference in my attitude because that is really fun for me. I once again feel like I’m doing something that I do well for a worthwhile purpose. I also volunteered as a translator at an event for the homeless and enjoyed the other volunteers that I met and the people we helped. I’m hoping that after the pandemic I can do a bit more translating, and maybe teach a class or two to a small group at the Art Center, or at the Senior Center.

I do enjoy that I have time to do things for which I had no time when teaching full-time, such as reading, art projects, word puzzles, short trips, walks outdoors, and more practice on the trumpet for the local jazz band I play in. I am finally now beginning to feel like I chose the correct time to retire and close that chapter of my life.

Share a quote that expresses something you think about the teaching profession?

“Even if you’re learning something that will not help you in your career, that will not help you in your daily life, just the fact that you have acquired that bit of knowledge should enrich you as a human being...”

— Alex Trebek

I love this because it reminds me of my mother’s advice. She was a high school English and History teacher, and used to always say that everything you ever learn has value. Learning is never a waste of time, and it gives you something that can’t be taken from you. She also said that you can learn something from everyone you ever meet. These sayings recognize the value of learning for learning's sake, as well as the value of each and every individual.

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