Palmer retires after 33 years of teaching

Dereta Palmer

Dereta Palmer has been in the third grade for 33 years. This is not due to any difficulty she faced with the class work; rather it comes from her knowledge of the subject matter, as she has spent all of her years as a public school educator instructing third grade students.

Palmer, a native of Rector, graduated from RHS, then received her BSE in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education, which was considered a double major at the time, from Arkansas State University in 1975.

Palmer says she had little doubt about the career she wanted.

"I always wanted to be a teacher. I probably made the decision when I was a teenager, but it's what I always wanted to do. As a child, when my friends and I played school, I was always the teacher."

Upon receiving her degrees, she taught Head Start classes at Jonesboro for one year. She returned to the area during the 1976-77 school year, joining the faculty in the Greenway School District. She remained there through the consolidation of Greenway and Rector schools into Clay County Central in 1984, continuing her role as a third grade teacher with the newly-combined schools.

Palmer feels the third grade is an important step in a student's education process.

"The children are very eager to learn at that age," Palmer said. "They think they've really mastered something when they can multiply and divide. They're so proud when they can show their parents what they've learned."

During the years, Palmer has taught classes ranging from just six to 29 students. Regardless of class size, she says she has always enjoyed both the challenges and rewards which come from teaching.

"When children are having a difficult time with the work, then almost overnight, a light goes on and they understand it. That's very exciting. It's very rewarding to see the students accomplish that after working so hard."

In her 33 years of teaching, Palmer has played a vital role in the lives of generations of students.

"It's amazing to me to be able to see so many of the students I have taught who have grown up and have their own lives now. Some of my former students work at the school now. I'll see them with their students and think to myself, 'I remember when you were that age.' In some ways, it seems like they were in my class not long ago."

Through her years in the classroom, Palmer says she has collected "a lifetime of memories."

One such memory occurred during her time at Greenway. The type of desks used during that time had a storage compartment under the seat. One young man, whom Palmer did not name, somehow managed to get his head stuck in the storage area.

"I don't know if he was looking for something or whether he was playing," Palmer said. "I knew that if the head went in there, then it should be able to come out, too."

She was able to free the student from his trap without any injury.

"He wasn't hurt, so I guess you could consider that a funny moment."

Palmer and her husband, Terry, have a son, Bret, and daughter, Cassie Knight. They have two grandchildren with a third on the way. Palmer says she will be spending more time with her grandchildren now. She and Terry, who has farmed in the area for several years, also will be able to vacation together more than in years past.

"With his farming and my teaching, we have never really been able to take a long vacation because our times off were at different times. We're planning on doing some traveling together now."

Though she is excited about the opportunities retirement will offer, Palmer says she will miss the classroom.

"I will miss it, but I have a new chapter in my life. I just appreciate having the opportunity to teach. I'm grateful to the school for letting me teach here. We have a lot of good products from our school because of everybody's hard work. A lot of nice young men and women have come from here."