Hammond passes final test, retires after 28 years

WORLAND – After more than 28 years teaching, Worland fifth-grade teacher Dave Hammond has decided to take advantage of the retirement incentive package offered by the Washakie County School District No. 1.

"I just felt it was an opportune time and when they offered the buy-out it was something that made it a little bit easier to do," Hammond said. "My grandkids are getting older now and I want to be able to go and chase after them. They live in Buffalo now, they lived in Alaska for a long time, so I want to be able to go ahead and follow them," he added.

Hammond doesn't have any concrete plans on what he is going to do for retirement. He stated that he takes care of a farm so the summer will be pretty much filled with watering, weeding and the general things that a person does on a farm. He added that he is also looking forward to doing some hunting and fishing.

When asked what he was going to miss the most Hammond stated that he will miss his students and all the teachers he has worked with over the years. He also stated that he will not miss the testing required. "I think kids need to be tested, we need to see what their knowledge is and their depth. I just think that the state, the legislature and everybody has put so much emphasis on the testing that we end up, are we really having the kids learn or are we teaching them how to take tests? Our

administrators do a really good job about trying to lessen the burden on teachers, the pressure that's on kids and everything else. Mr. [Bruce] Miller, Mr. [Ken] Dietz and Mrs. [Linda] Anderson, our last three principals that I had, I've had three principals in three years, they've done an excellent job of giving us support and everything else. Mr. [David] Nichols and Mr. [Jack] Stott help at the central office as well as Mrs. [Jody] Rakness trying to lessen the burden but it's still that allness of the testing," Hammond said.

One of the biggest changes over the years that Hammond has seen is the boom and bust cycle that Worland goes through and the affect it has on the students. He stated that while parents do the best they can with what they have, many parents have had to move away because of lack of good jobs and students not being able to do the activities that they used to because of tough economic times. "Parents don't make as much money. I see more kids toward the poverty line and everything else. I think that parents do a great job with what they have and everything they do. All the parents I had I've always thought they've always been concerned with their kids and their education. I think the parents do a tremendous job with all the pressures that they are under," Hammond said.