Allen County Intermediate Center teacher Debbie Tabor will be spending time with family after retiring this year after serving almost four decades in education.
Tabor graduated from Scottsville High School in 1972. Inspired by a elementary school teacher, she attended Western Kentucky University where she graduated in 1976 with a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education.
“The person who influenced my decision the most to become a teacher was my second grade teacher, Ms. Mildred Graves,” Tabor explained. “She was one of many great caring teachers I had throughout elementary and high school. I have always loved children and what better way to reach a child than to teach.”
Fresh out of college, Tabor found employment in Tennessee.
“I started teaching in August of 1976 at Westside Elementary in Macon County,” Tabor noted. “My first position was as a second grade teacher. During the next 14 years, I taught first, third, fifth and sixth grades. My dream was to be a fourth grade teacher but that did not happen until 1991 when I was hired by the Allen County Board of Education.”
Returning to Kentucky brought Tabor into a new environment but her first day was not idea as she settled into her new fourth grade teacher role at White Plains Elementary School.
“I was all excited because I had input on new furniture for my room,” Tabor shared. “But by the first day of school, the furniture had not arrived. So my class and I spent the day outside under a large tree and made the most of it.”
Tabor’s first year of teaching in Kentucky also marked the time when the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) was getting off the ground.
“One thing that stands out from KERA was the writing prompts students were to do during the year,” Tabor added. “This was a struggle for the students and for me but we gave it our best and got through the year.”
Tabor moved to a fifth grade classroom at White Plains and taught in a self-contained classroom for the next 11 years. She then moved into the Title I position at the school---a position she has served in the past 11 years.
Her many years in the classroom has allowed Tabor the opportunity to witness technology become more-and-more integrated into daily instruction.
“The greatest change in education is the technology that is available for the students and teachers,” Tabor said. “We now have computers, IPad’s, laptops and the ActiveBoards. It has come a long way from the black boards, chalk and workbooks.”
Tabor points out another area in which she has witnessed undergo change during her years of service.
“Another change is respect,” Tabor pointed out. “Growing up as a child, we were taught to respect people in the school system. That seems to change more and more each year.”
Needless to say, Tabor has many memories.
The funniest memory was a second grade who cut the waddle off of his turkey,” Tabor explained. “The room is quiet and all at once I hear ‘I cut his little thing off.”
Tabor’s notes that her happiest memories are the times when former students will come up to her, offers hugs, and asks if she still remembers them. Her saddest memories have been the deaths of two students while in her class, one in Macon County and one in Allen County.
Tabor’s words of advice to new teachers centers around a quote and a devotional thought.
“I found a quote that says ‘the best teachers teach from the heart and not from a book,’” Tabor noted. “If I could leave anything for a new teacher, it would be the quote and a phrase from a devotional, ‘thank you for serving with a heart like Jesus. Always remember the hearts you teach, the wisdom you share, the love you show.’”
Tabor’s plans for retirement include spending time with her family, including her children and grandchildren. This October, her and her husband (Nathan) will be taking a trip to Israel to see the Holy Land. She also plans on spending time reading, baking and decorating cakes. In addition, she will be “spending as much time as I can spoiling my grandsons (Madison and Brayden Vick).”
(Editors Note: This is the fourth in a series of stories on teacher retirements from the Allen County School District this year. Not all retirees chose to be interviewed for a feature.)