SCOTIA, N.Y. (NEWS10) — A Scotia-Glenville teacher is calling it a career after more than 35 years in the classroom. Parents, students, and other teachers went to Sacandaga Elementary School on Thursday to give Melissa Peterson, also known as Mrs. P., a parade.
Thursday was the last day of school in her 36th year of teaching. She explained what’s different about the job now compared to when she started.
“Nothing has changed,” she said. “Children are still children. They’re still exactly who they were. Developmentally, they haven’t changed. Our expectations of them have changed, and we’re asking them to do a whole lot that they’re really not ready for, and so we have to take a step back and realize that when we’re teaching young children, we have to teach in a way that they understand. It’s really important.”
Mrs. P. estimates she’s taught around 700 students in her career.