Good morning, neighbor.
When we send our children or grandchildren off to school, especially in these times, we want to know that the people charged with their care and education are good, decent, caring human beings.
If there’s one thing I’ve been told about eighth-grade history and civics teacher Theresa Dodge, it’s that few others came close to what she did over the decades she spent in Greenfield schools. She retired last week.
“Terri is the best on so many levels,” said Kathy Blanchard, who worked with Terri at Greenfield Middle School in special education. “As an educator, few came close to her. She related well to a wide range of kids with her outgoing personality, humor and desire to make learning engaging and meaningful for her students.”
Terri, her friends and colleagues call her, recognized the strengths and challenges individual students demonstrated and built on those strengths while supporting their challenges.
“She accepts all for who they are, an invaluable trait for an educator of early teens,” Kathy said.
Theresa has been described as “an educator who worked tirelessly to ensure her classroom was always positive, rewarding and student-focused.”
“The kids love her and remember her years later because she formed a unique relationship with each of them, bringing a bright spot to their lives,” Kathy said.
On June 6, a caravan of vehicles, including 20 police, fire and EMT flashing their lights and blaring their sirens, drove by Terri’s house in Erving to pay homage to her long career and wish her well. Even those of us who never got to meet her in person wish her the best in retirement. You can’t hear what people have to say about her and not understand what a wonderful person and teacher she is.
Denise Petrin, who described Terri as a “wonderful colleague,” said people made signs, decorated their vehicles with balloons and honked their horns. They didn’t just pass Terri’s home once, but circled back, got out of their cars, socially distancing, and did a dance to “Everybody Needs Somebody” by the Blues Brothers wearing sunglasses, suits, ties and fedoras.
“We left her with our signs, balloons and some gifts, like a kinetic lawn ornament, a book of reflections from some of her students and a caricature done by a teacher at the middle school, among others,” Denise said.
Like Kathy and Denise, Anne Maddern, a special education teacher at the middle school who retired five years ago, said the school district has lost a “top-notch” educator.
“Terri is a fun-loving, nurturing educator,” Anne told me. “She brought so much laughter to her classrooms. The kids really liked her and wanted to learn from her because she was able to quickly establish healthy, personal relationships with them.”
Her classrooms were “totally inclusive,” her colleagues said. “She started out as a special education teacher, which might give people a better idea of her tender heart. Terri loved to party, sing and dance. She and any co-conspirator she could convince to play along with her could be heard busting into another classroom dressed as the Blues Brothers, playing a song at full blast, dancing like crazy, and just as quickly, leave.”
Anne said three minutes of “absolute craziness” during a tedious, monotonous day of school was sometimes what students and teachers needed. How great is that!
“She was never known for having a quiet demeanor,” she said. Instead, she described her as gregarious, outgoing and sometimes sarcastic. But, Terri approached her teaching thoughtfully, respectfully and diligently and was fair-minded and creative.
Greenfield High School Principal Karin Patenaude said she couldn’t have asked for more in an educator.
“I met Terri when I was transferred to Greenfield Middle School in my first years as an associate principal,” Karin told me. “I will never forget observing her classroom and the feeling of ‘home’ she created for students. The moment I entered, you could feel the warmth and joy and positive energy she exudes.”
Karin said Terri is a teacher, but was much more than that to students.
“Her deep care and concern for each student, their social and emotional needs, as well as their academic needs was uncanny,” she said.
Terri also coached field hockey at the middle school for many years and led a group of students as part of Global Glimpse to travel to under-served countries to do community service.
I talked with Terri last Friday.
“The parade was one of the most surprising and heartwarming experiences of my life,” she told me. “It was as though my whole career passed in front of me. I had all these incredibly fun-loving and supportive people passing by with signs of endearment cheering me to the next endeavor in life. There were even some past and present students in the parade.”
Terri worked in Greenfield for the past 24 years; she worked for four years before that outside of the district. She started in the middle school, where for 17 years she taught history and English learning acquisition in grades six and seven. The past seven years she taught in the high school.
“Greenfield has always been my professional home,” she said. “I will forever be grateful for the amazing relationships and experiences that were formed with incredibly talented educators, supportive parents and remarkable students. Some of these parents and students are still very close friends of mine and I know I will continue to share the close bond I have with my colleagues. I will forever hold the Greenfield community and its students in my heart.”
I’m sure those students, parents and colleagues will do the same back. Best of luck, Terri. Have a wonderful retirement.
Senior Reporter Anita Fritz grew up in Franklin County after moving from Spokane, Wash., when she was just a few weeks old. She covers Greenfield and does regional and COVID-19 reporting for the Greenfield Recorder.