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Spotsylvania teacher's career spans five decades
Spotsylvania educator looks back over five-decade career--before taking 'early' retirement
Date published: 6/6/2009
By PAMELA GOULD Her first year as a teacher, Becky Acors took nearly every one of her third-graders home with her for an overnight visit. That same year she assembled a caravan with her husband, her parents and a student's parents to take her class of 15 on field trips. They visited a beaver pond, her father's Spotsylvania County dairy farm, and the National Zoo in Washington. "The parents had a flat tire on the way [to the zoo] and we all got separated, but we did get back together," Acors recalled recently. "But we didn't have cell phones to check on them." Cell phones didn't exist half a century ago when Acors started her teaching career at Robert E. Lee Elementary at Spotsylvania Courthouse. And in the 1950s, no one batted an eye when she decided to take one or two youngsters home or out for some adventure. But Acors, who plans to retire next year, knows better than to recommend today's teachers follow in her footsteps. "I don't think they would do it, and it probably wouldn't be smart for them to do it," she said. GENERATIONS AND CHANGE Acors started her career in a simpler time: before the Internet, text messaging and digital-video conferencing for classroom instruction. The 72-year-old has made it a point to keep up with technology but believes in the importance of human interactions. Her goal is to understand a child, treat each one as unique and, most of all, convey that she cares. That's why before one of her field trips, she took a little girl home with her, gave her a bath and then took her shopping in Fredericksburg for a new outfit. Afterward, Acors said, "she was the happiest child." Acors started teaching 52 years ago, immediately after graduating from Mary Washington College. She has missed only one year since then, when she was pregnant with her third child. Acors taught in the classroom from 1957 until 1978, spending time at every grade except sixth. Since then, she has served as the reading specialist, working with students of all ages to help bring their skills to grade level. "My first year, I taught all repeaters," Acors said. "I think there was a need to have somebody that really cared for them."
Read more stories about Spotsylvania Date published: 6/6/2009
Amazing..............
(posted by
fredsuxx
, June 6, 2009 10:45 pm)
nuff said!
positive things/people
(posted by
smgj
, June 6, 2009 9:52 am)
It's good to see positive things/people in our community. I wish
her the best!
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