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WORTHINGTON — After 27 years of teaching English, Worthington Middle School teacher Paula Stock is retiring, but that doesn’t mean her story, or that of her students, is over.
She started teaching in 1981, and left teaching for a little over a decade to work elsewhere, but found she couldn’t keep away from the classroom.
“It’s really time to get back to teaching,” she recalled telling herself at the time. “It’s in my blood.”
This was her fifteenth year teaching in Worthington.
Stock, who has multiple teachers in her family, graduated from Morristown High School and earned her bachelor’s degree at St. Cloud State, followed by her master’s degree at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.
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She has especially enjoyed teaching middle school — most recently eighth grade — as those students still have a lot of exuberance and are less likely to slack off when it’s a class they aren’t thrilled with, she said.
“They have energy. Even if they think sleeping is the best thing in the world, they still have a lot of energy and you can still have fun with them,” Stock said. “They’re willing to try things.”
While her classes focus on short stories, students also get to read poetry, novels and other works, and writing is included in every part of the class.
Technology has been the driving force of change in the teaching profession, Stock said, and it was particularly noticeable for her as she left the field in 1984 and returned in 1998.
“When I left, (technology) was there but very minimal. When I came back, there were computers in every classroom,” she said. “Overall, tech can be very useful because it can make the learning more student-centered, but of course, it takes work to make that change.”
At the same time, Stock said, some students find it difficult to maintain their focus due to all the distractions online, so teachers must keep an eye on it.
One thing that hasn’t really changed during her time as a teacher, though, is the kids themselves.
“There are problems that kids have that we didn’t have when I started teaching. They’re dealing with things they never had to deal with, but…. Kids are kids,” she said. “They want to get together with their friends, they want to play sports, they want to have a good experience.”
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Stock had some advice for others interested in going into teaching.
“If you think you love doing it, do it. You just can’t let things stop you from doing what you want to do,” she said. “Don’t let other people scare you.”
Stock herself has always loved English and the reading that goes along with it, and while she doesn’t have any plans now that she retired, she does have a giant stack of books to read. She also hopes to spend time with her husband, Craig, her two sons, and her grandchildren.
