by Carrie Moritz, Gazette
When a school has a great teacher, it often does its best to retain them for as long as possible. The Garretson School District did such a great job of retaining Julie Hersom that she not only graduated from GHS, but went on to teach 1st grade for nearly 40 years.
“I grew up on a farm outside of Garretson,” Hersom said. “I went through all twelve years of school in Garretson. I was in the first class to go to Sherman for 3rd grade when Sherman joined Garretson. Third and 4th graders all attended school in Sherman then.”
After graduating from Garretson High School in 1972, she attended University of Sioux Falls (then known as Sioux Falls College). Hersom took the accelerated track, utilizing summer school classes to graduate in 1975 with a degree in Elementary Education.
“I always knew I would be a teacher,” she said. “Once I experienced first grade, I used to play school with my two younger brothers. I was always the teacher and they were my students. As I look back, our mom was definitely the Principal!”
Her first teaching job was in Irene, SD, near Yankton. She was there for four years before she decided to move back to Garretson. Her first year in Garretson, she was a teacher’s aide in the resource room. The next year, she obtained a position as 1st grade teacher.
“That’s where I’ve been ever since,” she said. Her retirement this year means she had 39 years in that position, a total of 40 years teaching at the Garretson School and 44 years altogether.
She noted that her favorite subject to teach was phonics, also known as VOWAC, followed closely by hands-on math. Her expertise in those areas will be missed.
“I was in Mrs. Hersom's class from 1981-82,” wrote DaNann (Williamson) Kistler, now a librarian at West Central in Hartford. “I remember learning all kinds of things and being excited for each day in her room. We learned phonics and read passages from the "Dick and Jane" books. Such a great teacher and I don't believe she ever ages! I've been a teacher for the past 21 years and owe my love of education to great teachers like her!”
Hersom said that reading stories to her classes was always a treat. She would read to them from a red bench. “They were always a captive, quiet audience,” she said. She loved watching them grow, both in confidence and in skills.
“As a first-grade teacher, I was always in awe of the tremendous amount of growth my students made academically and socially each school year. As we pass them on to the next grade, we forget how far they have come. But we get reminded of where we started each fall when the new group comes through our door. It is a huge feeling of accomplishment to have a class ready in May to move on to the next grade.”
A great teacher impacts their students many years after they’ve left the class, and Hersom appears to have done that. Terri (Vandersnick) Mehlhaff, a school administrator in Fort Pierre, SD, also remembers Mrs. Hersom fondly. She notes that Hersom was an inspiration.
“The memories I have of Mrs. Hersom’s 1st grade class are that she was always so kind and caring,” Mehlhaff wrote. “I remember doing VoWac and learning our sounds to read. I also remember when it was the Centennial and we all got to dress up and wear bonnets to school. We got to make candles in Mrs. Hersom’s room. She also inspired me to be an educator. Thank you, Mrs. Hersom, for your years of dedication to education.”
Hersom loved to have active fun with her students.
“When I would meet my students after Mr. Mudder's PE class, it was fun for me to try out their activities before we went back to our room! Going on field trips to the Palisades was a highlight every year. We had so much fun on the trails. We survived many rain showers through the years until, in 2008, it downpoured! We were soaked to our skin when we got back to school! We decided to move our field trip indoors to the Children's Museum in Brookings the next year.”
Having 44 years in teaching means that she’s witnessed many changes occur as schools have evolved. Some of those changes have been good, such as the introduction of technology. She went from using chalk boards to Smartboards, and black and green screen computers with floppy disks to iPads.
However, there were some changes that were more difficult, such as the emphasis that has been placed on test scores instead of allowing children to learn at their developmental rate, and the higher expectations that have been placed on all ages.
“Children need to feel loved and safe in order to learn,” Hersom said. “One of the biggest challenges I have experienced were the extreme behaviors of some of our children and how to best meet their needs. It was also a challenge to gear my lessons to meet the individual learning needs of my students, plus staying current in the constantly changing world of education.”
She credits her colleagues for much of her success in teaching.
“I have had the opportunity and pleasure of working with other wonderful educators through the years. These people become your best friends! You laugh together, you cry together and you give each other support. They become your teacher family and life-long friends,” she said.
In her retirement, she plans to spend more time on her hobbies, which include spending time with her grandchildren (she has 6, with one more due this week), flower gardening, scrapbooking, and reading. She also plans to continue a cheerleading career that started as a high school and college cheerleader, though from the stands instead of directly on the sidelines.
“I love cheering my grandson on at his Roosevelt High School football games. I also love cheering for the GHS Blue Dragon teams! Isn't there a saying, ‘Once a cheerleader, always a cheerleader!!’?” she asked.
