Diving into retirement: Pike retires after 32 years

WORLAND – After 32 years of teaching for Washakie School District No. 1, 10 years at the Worland Middle School and 22 at the Worland High School, Worland elementary swim instructor and high school physical education/ health teacher Jacque Pike is taking the retirement incentive offered by the district and handing the mantle over to someone else.

"I will be 66 this summer and so it was one of those where, it was time. Being out on medical half days just kind of convinced me that it was time to let someone else take over the program and someone else to teach the health class," Pike said. "Unfortunately I picked up a staph infection last July and had to have my knee replacement taken out so I spent this whole year out of the water which was really; it was God's way of me distancing myself from my little guys. I loved my job. I did the elementary swimming in the morning. Worland has had an elementary swim program for, I don't know how long. That was my official title, elementary swim instructor and high school P.E./ health teacher for the last 22 years. I think God has a way of planning for you to learn how to make a break," she added.

Over the last 32 years Pike has worn a lot of hats for the district. She stated that she was originally hired to teach reading and social studies for the middle school. During her years at the middle school, she taught reading, language arts, math and one class of computers. She was also the eighth-grade middle school volleyball coach for 28 years, only giving up the volleyball coaching hat when her granddaughter began playing volleyball because she wanted to be a spectator and not a coach.

While at the high school, Pike not only taught physical education/ health but coached or was the assistant coach for indoor and outdoor track and she isn't quite ready to end her track coaching days just yet. "I asked if I could come back, I wasn't quite ready to make that break, I have some kids that I got to know and I want to stay in touch with them. I just wasn't quite ready to give it all up yet. I won't be doing indoor track because of the incentive. My official day of being gone on contract is Aug. 31 and I have to be gone for six months before they can pay me. I asked to come back for the spring, asked if I could come back and coach another season or so. Coaching is teaching but it is not as structured, it is but it isn't," Pike said.

Some of the things Pike plans on doing for retirement are visiting the national parks, be a grandma, read some books, get dirty in her yard and do some woodworking projects, but her first goal as a new retiree is to sit down and read the newspaper with her coffee in the morning. "I just have a lot things that I want to do, so it will be fun," Pike said.

Pike stated that she is going to miss seeing the joy of kindergarteners coming in and being scared of the water and then learning to float and then swim. She is going to miss seeing the students mature.

While she will miss her time with her students, Pike stated that the one thing that she will not miss is the constant documentation. She stated that while documentation is critical to education, she is not going to miss the amount of time that the documentation takes.

Over her 32 years teaching, Pike said the main change she saw was when the standards came out. She said at first she was excited because she thought that the standards would make her a better teacher and hold her at a greater level of accountability. "That wasn't the case, it's a documentation piece. I'm not saying that it's wrong, it just felt like, we are so boxed in, it's like teaching to the test, teaching to the standards, instead of just embracing teaching," Pike said. "There is so much out there in the health education field that you could expose kids to and the joy of, the uniqueness of their bodies and how to keep it healthy and what choices they have to make and how their brain works and making them aware of what goes on, the joy of movement, encouraging them to just move was always a driving force behind physical education and health," she added.

Worland High School Principal Wade Sanford said at Monday's board meeting, "Thirty-two years. That's a long time and Jacque's filled a lot of roles and I just want to publicly thank her on behalf of our staff for coaching volleyball, coaching track, elementary swimming, taught at the Boys School then at the middle school and the high school. Jacque was terrific to work with and really poured her heart and soul into the kids and being supportive of staff. We will miss her and wanted to recognize her one last time and thank her for all she's done."