Two Lake legends are set to retire after 30 years of teaching. Lake’s very own Mr. Ken Wolfe and Mrs. Cheri Napholz are closing the teaching chapter of their lives after many successful years with Lake. Mr. Wolfe and Mrs. Napholz reminisced on their past years and gave some of their final thoughts at Lake.
Mr. Wolfe has been teaching at Lake for 33 years, and Mrs. Napholz has been at Lake for 32. When asked what they were looking forward to in retirement, Mr. Wolfe and Mrs. Napholz were in agreement: not waking up early for school. On the other side of the scope, Mr. Wolfe and Mrs. Napholz were also asked what they would miss here at Lake.
“Mostly everything, actually. Especially just being in a class with students. Getting to know so many kids all the time,” stated Mr. Wolfe.
“I will desperately miss the students. I do still absolutely love the time when I shut my door and teach the class,” responded Napholz.
To the surprise of some, Mr. Wolfe originally wanted to be a dentist. After starting college, he reflected on why he wanted to be a dentist, and he could not find a reason. After pondering what he enjoyed, he decided to pursue teaching. Mrs. Napholz always wanted to be a teacher. She recalled her youth and always playing school with her siblings. Her admiration for teaching was reinforced in her student years when she would tutor her friends.
One thing Mr. Wolfe learned while teaching was to have an open mind.
“Have an open mind and do not make conclusions about things quickly. You never really know why something’s the way it is or why someone’s doing something the way they’re doing it,” commented Wolfe.
One lesson Mrs. Napholz attributes to teaching was patience.
“You have to have patience. You’re being pulled in a hundred directions all the time, and you have to have a lot of patience,” reflected Napholz.
With their years at Lake coming to an end, Mr. Wolfe and Mrs. Napholz left their students some final advice.
“Work really hard, put your best effort into everything but don’t make it like it’s life or death,” remarked Wolfe.
“Don’t take the easy way out. It’s just going to lead to your disappointment,” replied Napholz.
And for their fellow teachers and maybe those to come, they left some final advice for you as well.
“Worry more about your students than the subject that you teach,” noted Wolfe.
“Enjoy the time while you’re here,” responded Napholz.
