Teacher of the Year Lavey Retiring

Imagine repeating the third grade again, and again and again for 35 years straight.

For third grade public elementary school teacher Patricia Lavey, it’s not so bad a prospect, especially when you love teaching that age group.  After 35 years, however, Lavey is ready to call it a day, and having been recognized as Manchester’s 2010-2011 Teacher of the Year is in her own words, “a really nice way to go out.”

The Martin Elementary School teacher will be retiring at the end of the school year, and will be taking with her a heap of fond memories.

Lavey began her career as a third grade teacher in the Manchester elementary school system, starting first at Robertson Elementary School where she taught for about ten years before moving on to Waddell Elementary School. After 17 years at Waddell, she moved finally to Martin where she has taught for the last seven years.

Despite her love of teaching, Lavey said the job has changed significantly over the years. “It’s not so easy anymore,” she said, explaining that parenting and society as a whole have had a significant impact on how teachers do their jobs. Additionally, the amount of assessment work and data collection needed for the No Child Left Behind mandate has made the workload that much heavier. “I’m on the computer every weekend [doing assessment work],” she said.

“I’ve taught a long time and have given my all to my kids, knowing I’ve put forth my best effort for 35 years,” said Lavey. “I’m very honored to have been given this recognition and to represent my colleagues,” she said, adding that it is an honor not usually bestowed on teachers at the elementary school level. “I’ve been lucky to have worked with the best of the best.”

Many of Lavey’s students and their parents consider her the best of the best as well.

“Pat is such a lovely woman. She truly deserves this recognition,” said Georgette Thompson, whose son and daughter both had Lavey as their third grade teacher at Waddell.

Thompson said her daughter Bethany, now 21, had Lavey as a teacher first and all went well, but it was her son Joseph, now 18, whose cerebral palsy presented a challenge. While mentally capable, Joseph had physical challenges that required modifications to the standard curriculum.

“He could not write and so everything had to be scanned into the class computer so he could do his lessons. For so many teachers, that could be overwhelming, but Pat told me specifically ‘I want your son,’” said Thompson. “She cut through all the lessons with the paraprofessional to modify the curriculum. She really worked outside the box.”

Thompson said Lavey was also not afraid to challenge Joseph. There was no ‘poor Joe’ attitude from Lavey that Thompson said she sometimes saw with other teachers. “He got his first D in her classroom and he really earned it,” said Thompson. “She made him work for things, but she also made sure that when they went on class trips that he got the bus lift and that everything was made accessible for him.”

“The main thing is that she gives kids what they need. She goes to the core,” said Thompson. “Bethany and Joseph took away some really nice experiences from her class.”

Lavey was nominated for the Teacher of the Year award by her Martin peers and was selected by a committee of former Manchester Teacher of the Year recipients.

In Martin Elementary School Principal Donna Fitzgerald's introductory speech at Manchester High School for Lavey's invocation as Teacher of the Year, she described Lavey as "dedicated, knowledgeable, immensely talented and a highly skilled third grade teacher who inspires students of all backgrounds and abilities to learn, and that learning is reflected in their achievement scores....Her knowledge of what appeals to students coupled with her understanding of how to deliver rigorous instruction in a variety of learning environments is what distinguishes her above the rest."

"[Lavey is] one of the best teachers I have ever worked with," said Fitzgerald. 

While she has taught hundreds of children over the past 35 years, one thing that has not changed are the kids themselves, said Lavey. “Technology has changed and attention spans have changed, but kids still have the same needs and wants,” she said. “They need that extra care and to know you are there for them.”

One thing that Lavey has enjoyed is Martin’s designation as a Higher Order Thinking (H.O.T.) school, which employs teaching through the arts, including art, music, and drama. As a certified yoga instructor, Lavey said she has utilized yoga in her classroom to help calm her students before taking a test, if there has been a problem on the playground, or just as a way of bringing a calming end to the school day.

“[Yoga is] about mind, body and spirit. It’s about breathing, exercise, good health, and eating well,” she said.

“Yoga has changed my life,” said Lavey, who until its closing last May regularly taught the practice at a Marlborough studio. Ever the teacher, upon retirement she said she plans to start a home studio for the over-50 set and teach yoga full time.

Despite being ready for retirement, Lavey still sounded willing to keep a connection with kids. “I’d love to do yoga education in schools someday,” she said with a chuckle. “We’ll see.”