Longtime KC-area educators speak on their back-to-school motivation, changes in education

OLATHE, Kan. — It's back-to-school time, and two longtime educators within the Olathe School District say their students are the reason they head back to the classroom year after year.

"I love that I have this amazing opportunity to have a positive impact on students' lives each year," said Lynne Scheffield, a third grade teacher

Scheffield is in her 34th year of teaching, and said she knew she wanted to be a teacher after the impact her second grade teacher, Mrs. Wilson, left on her.

"I hope that I am my students’ Mrs. Wilson," Scheffield said. "I hope that when they leave my classroom, they will remember me that way.”

Fellow educator, Marilyn Mayberry, a paraeducator who has worked at Fairview Elementary for 19 years, also finds motivation from her students.

John Batten/KSHB

"The kids are what bring me back every day because they're so special, and this job is just so rewarding because you can see the little changes," Mayberry said.

Over the years, both Mayberry and Scheffield have seen changes in education.

“Yes, there have been so many changes," Scheffield said. "The demands on teachers are hard these days, it’s a hard profession, and it takes a lot from us.”

Students use technology more now than ever before.

“For some of our kiddos that struggle socially, we have a lot of apps we can use to help him with those situations," Mayberry said.

Teachers also benefit from advancements in technology.

"Coming from the copy machines that we did by hand, to overhead projectors to having iPads in the classrooms, and me having a computer," Scheffield said.

John Batten

Scheffield also noted that she used to have open classrooms without doors, and how safety protocols have increased over the years.

For those beginning their careers in education, Scheffield and Mayberry tell them to be patient and to give themselves grace.

"You are going to make mistakes and you are going to learn from those," Scheffield said. "I am still making mistakes and I am still learning.”

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KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.