Twelve teachers, two bus drivers, two paraeducators and the Director of Facilities all retired from Saline Area Schools this past year. That group of 17 individuals had served the students of Saline for a combined total 419 years, (an average of over 24 years). Among the group were eight teachers who had taught for 30 or more years, (including one who had taught for 47) and a bus driver who had driven for 35 years!
At a retirement reception hosted by the Board of Education, the retirees were given a poem that read:
The Builder
I once saw a group of men tearing a building down,
A group of men in my hometown.
With a heave and a ho and a mighty yell,
They swung the beam and the side wall fell.
I asked the foreman, "Are these men skilled?
The kind I would hire if I wanted to build?"
He laughed and said, "Why no indeed.
Common labor is all I need.
For I can tear down in a day or two
What it took the builder ten years to do."
So I thought to myself as I walked away,
Which of these roles am I going to play?
Am I going to tear down as I make my way merrily around?
Or am I going to build with care with the hope that the people will be glad I was there?
- Author Unknown
There is no question that each of our retirees "built with care" and we are certainly grateful for each of their contributions over the years!
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