"When you have your former students’s children come in and say ‘You’re still here’ then you know maybe it’s time to do something different."
School’s out ….Forever
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Virginia Lawson, Kealakehe High School counselor, logs into the computer system to check her e-mail for the last time at school. Lawson said the high technology available at Kealakehe High School lured her to transfer from Konawaena High School. Now after 45 years of serving students on the mainland and in Hawaii, Lawson is retiring. |
LAWSON RETIRES AFTER 45 YEARS IN EDUCATION
She shuts off her computer, locks the door and surrenders her keys; she is not returning to Kealekehe High School next year.
After 45 years with the Department of Education, Virginia Lawson is retiring.
"When you have your former students’ children come in and say "You’re still here’ then you know maybe it’s time to do something different," she said.
Lawson began her education career as a ninth through 12th-grade English teach at a small school in Arkansas.
She lived during an era when children followed their family’s career, and her family consisted mainly of teachers, she said.
"I always liked helping people," Lawson said. "Even as a child, I would pretend to be a teacher, teaching my students."
Lawson left Arkansas and traveled to Pasadena, Calif., where she taught fifth-grade for seven years. Pasadena was a progressive district with more resources available and teachers were treated with professional courtesy, she said.
After seven years in the hustle and bustle of city life, Lawson said she needed a rest, so she moved to Kona.
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[Photo: Virginia Lawson, Kealakehe High School, shows off some words of wisdom for her students at Kealakehe High School.] "I came to Kona when there was one stop sign," she said. "When you bought gas, they gave you free glasses. And it was less than $1 a gallon with full service." Her first Christmas letter home described a quaint village with one traffic sign and her family wondered "where in the world I was in the middle of the ocean," she said In 1968, Lawson taught eighth-grade at the former Honokohau school and then fourth-grade at Kealakehe Elementary School. Lawson saw good and bad differences between Hawaii and California’s education system. The structure of Hawaii’s education system is unique because it is a state-run system, she said. "When I first taught in Hawaii, teachers were the custodians and there was an archaic system of ordering supplies and taking attendance," she said.. |
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Lawson said she was inspired to get a master’s degree in counseling after she spent three years as guidance teacher at Kealakehe Elementary School.
With her return to Hawaii in 1982, she began her 17-year counseling career at Konawaena High School. She came to Kealakehe because of the technology.
"I wanted to learn about computers, and at the time, Konawaena did not have them," she said. "The move was for my own growth and development."
Lawson said she has seen many education advancements over the years, curriculum changes being the largest. More emphasis in placed on the vision and mission statements of schools and testing standards have improved. There are also new resources available to students at public schools, like mental health resources.
Students have also changed over the years, mainly in their behavior, she said.
"Back the, students were more polite and had more respect for their teachers," Lawson said. "Today, they are more outspoken and the advent of cell phones has had a profound impact on their behavior."
Students now are also computer literate, but even then, students were academically motivated, she added.
"Four of my students are now teachers," Lawson said. "They were bright shining stars, and that was 20 years ago, without cell phones and computers."
Lawson predicts the education system will continue to change, with more charter schools and even more student resources. Lawson said Gov. Linda Lingle’s plan of breaking down the state Board of Education to local districts will eventually pass.
"You can’t stop change," she said.
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With all of the advancements, schools also face many challenges; two of the greatest challenges are attendance and substance abuse, she said. The transition from elementary to high school sees a lack of parental involvement in may student’s lives, Lawson said. Many are sent to her because of discipline problems, she added. "I’m not a disciplinarian," Lawson said. "My job is to give guidance, assistance and information to help students reach their goals. Hopefully, their number-one goal is to graduate." |
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Many careers available to students now were not available when Lawson was younger. Even if they were , she said she still would have chosen teaching.
Although she enjoyed her job, it was not always easy. There were challenges, and disappointments, but she liked responding to the challenges and the irate phone calls, she added.
"I developed more empathy, patience and understanding with the job," she said. "I’m not shocked by anything students say anymore."
Even though Lawson will miss working with students and colleagues, she anticipates retirement, she said. She plans to play tennis, dance and volunteer with the extra time she now has available.
"They haven’t gotten rid of me yet," Lawson said. "I love it here and I’m not planning on leaving anytime soon."
Virginia Lawson can be contacted at
