Editor’s Note: This continues a series of monthly articles celebrating pride in our town and its surroundings shown through the experience of residents and organizations.
By Jane Schuchardt
Special to the Elgin Review
A, B, C.
One, two, three.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.
January, February, March.
Letters, numbers, days of the week, months of the year. To us, easy. To Elgin preschoolers attending Elgin Public Schools (EPS), it’s a learning curve mastered under the knowledgeable and experienced eye of Sue Vanis.
With sunlight gleaming through the south windows of the EHS pre-school building, Vanis’ enthusiastic approach holds the attention of even the wiggliest of little ones. She retires this year after 34 years of tireless service, currently as early childhood teacher, “helping them build a solid foundation for learning,” she said. “This is so rewarding for me. I hope each one becomes a contributing member of society.”
With a teacher-child ratio limit of one to 10, the class size has hovered around 10 since she started. She has four-year-olds in the morning each weekday, and three-year-olds in the afternoon Monday through Thursday. She said the afternoon class tends to be a bit larger since St. Boniface Catholic Elementary School offers a pre-school only for four-year-old children.
“The threes explore and socialize, practicing readiness skills for formal school. There’s not much structure. It’s easier,” Vanis said when summarizing a normal day. “The fours in the morning work daily on kindergarten readiness, letters, numbers. This can be more challenging if the child doesn’t have experience following a routine.”
She sings praises for her para educator, Angie Miller, who has walked beside her every day for the last 14 years. “We’re a well-oiled machine, working together,” Vanis said. “I couldn’t do the job without her. What I start, she finishes.” Miller will continue in the position this fall, supporting Vanis’ replacement.
Friday afternoon is for planning and reporting, plus she generally spends two to three hours on weekends preparing. Truth be told though, for Vanis, it’s a 24-7 job. “I’m always thinking about what I can do to help the children achieve,” she said as she gazed around her colorfully appointed room.
Nearly every inch of the classroom is laden with welcoming learning tools. Along one wall are tiny compartments (like a locker without a door) labeled with the name of each student. There are toys, colorful chairs, mirrors, and even a sink, microwave, and frig. Behind closed doors are bathrooms with child-sized fixtures.
There’s a firmness in her voice as she gives assignments for the morning class, reviews the day of the week and date of the month, the weather, and, with student leadership, pledges allegiance to the United States of America. Comfortable blue jeans, tennis shoes, and a dark grey sweatshirt with “I love public schools” emblazoned in red on the front complement her enduring love for teaching.
It’s obvious how much she adores children. “I always wanted to be a teacher,” she said, “and, honestly back then, there weren’t a lot of choices for women – teacher, nurse, secretary.”
Turning 63 years old in May, Vanis lives and breathes Elgin through and through. She grew up about a block from where she stands in the classroom, graduated from Pope John Catholic High School in 1978, and earned a bachelor’s in early childhood in 1982 from Kearney State College, now the University of Nebraska at Kearney. She holds endorsements in early childhood and K-12 special education, and K-6 elementary education. She completed a master’s degree in early childhood from Concordia University, Seward, in 2013.
Her first job upon college graduation was with Nebraska Educational Unit 8 out of Neligh. “I traveled far and wide, basically lived in my car,” Vanis said about visiting homes housing children ages birth to five years with physical and mental limitations (e.g. cerebral palsy, downs syndrome).
After six years on the road, she was hired by EPS in the fall of 1989 as the K-12 special education teacher working with students with learning disabilities, having difficulty reading and understanding math, and needing extra support.
When shifting to a question about family and community, she held up both hands in gentle defiance and said emphatically, “Wait, there’s more.”
For “more”, see this week’s edition of The Elgin Review.
