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Thirty Seven Years of Creating Life Long Memories with Students: Meet Pam Dodge


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Tuesday June 20, 2017

By Cookie Steponaitis

   Pam Dodge decided to be a teacher when she was in elementary school. Inspired by one of her reading teachers, Dodge took joy from every book and fun project that followed. She has strived to do the same and inspire lifelong readers in her classroom for the past thirty seven years.
   Pam Dodge began her educational preparation to become a teacher at William Penn College in Iowa and transferred and graduated from Johnson State College. She has taught for a total of thirty seven years, of grade English in Nashville, Georgia, first grade in Kaiserlautern, Germany, first-third graders in Newport News, Virginia and second grade and remedial reading in Vernon, New Jersey. Dodge like all veteran educators has a lifetime of memories and fond recollections, but her top recollections are linked to creating lifelong memories and educational journeys with layers. “Taking VUES third and fourth graders to Plimoth Plantation and the Statue of Liberty/ Ellis Island on overnight field trips was so incredible. Some of these students had never traveled outside of Vermont, slept in a hotel or seen the ocean. It was rewarding to see them learn and experience this. I have a class photo taken in front of the World Trade Center which no longer exists. The newly elected Governor Jim Douglas came into the classroom and spoke to the children and taking a class to the airport to see the control tower in operation and sit inside a 737 airplane are more of these experiences.”
   For Dodge the messages she has given her students all these years continue on to the new teachers set to take their place in the lives of children. “Reading is key to everything,” shared Dodge. “Reading is thinking, connect it to your life, the real world or with other books. It’s ok to make mistakes but learn from them. Sometimes it’s not always easy and sometimes even painful but learn from them. Do acts of kindness and expect nothing in return. Take ownership of your learning and actions.”
   When the yellow buses roll by the in fall, do not worry that Dodge and the other retiring teachers will be idle. The fall includes traveling, reading a book during daylight hours and auditing classes at UVM with her husband. The Valley Voice wishes Pam Dodge and all retiring teachers well and commends their dedication, versatility and perseverance in a field that is not entered for the paycheck but for the impact on the youth of our county.
              


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