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09/14/2016 08:30 AMWhen Anne Cuyler began college in the late 1950s, there weren’t many career options for women at the time. She decided to pursue elementary education and by the time she got her first job in 1963, she realized it was her calling.
“I always wanted to be a ballet dancer, but that was more of a childhood fantasy,” says Anne. “Once I became a teacher, it became my passion and, more and more, it became my creative life.”
Anne took a job at Green Acres Elementary School in 1963, working there for about 18 years. She spent the remainder of her career at Ridge Road Elementary School. Five years into working there, she began working in the Integrated Day (ID) program, where students spend both their kindergarten and 1st-grade years with the same teacher in a multi-grade setting.
In the early years, Anne actually had students as they moved from kindergarten to 2nd grade, but the program eventually transitioned to kindergarten and 1st grade. Anne loved developing relationships with her students over the two years they were in her classroom.
“That’s always been very special that you get them in kindergarten and when they come back in 1st grade, you’ve already known them for a year and you can move forward with them from the place where they are,” says Anne. “That always really was something I loved about being in the ID program—the time you get to know children and explore their learning with them.”
Being a teacher for more than five decades, Anne has seen changes in the classroom, the education system, the children, and especially technology. She has adapted to the changes over the years, but one thing she has always maintained is offering the children “choice time.”
“One of the most rewarding things for the children and for me, as a teacher, was giving the children choices about what they learn about and project work,” says Anne. “The thing I tried to keep the same was giving the children the opportunity to make messes and explore. You could not just teach all day long without them having a chance to use what you taught them or presented to them as ideas. They needed the time each day to explore those ideas and new things in their own way.”
During the choice time, Anne’s students could choose to work on what interested them by writing, reading, or creating something based on those subjects. One of Anne’s favorite parts about this process was learning about new subjects alongside her students.
“I was simply a facilitator at those times,” says Anne, who also studied printmaking at Southern Connecticut State University, earning her master’s degree. “I was always amazed at what they would do and would explore and make as they made that learning their own. That’s something you have to value as a teacher.”
Seeing so many students over the years, Anne taught children of former students, mentored student teachers who once sat in her classroom, and had colleagues whom she had formerly taught. Anne not only worked with student teachers, but she gave back to her profession in many other ways. She was part of the state’s portfolio program, a member of Connecticut’s Leadership Academy, and was a Celebration of Excellence winner.
Because of her involvement with the ID program, Anne found it hard to choose a time to retire. In a traditional setting, at the end of the year, your class moves on and a new one comes in. With the ID program, Anne always had half of her class returning to her.
“It was never a closure because when you came back, you’d have a certain number of children you already know,” says Anne. “I’m adjusting to the fact that it’s time to move on, but I’m hoping to keep my friends and connections with teaching in some way.”
While Anne retired at the end of the 2015-’16 school year, she is already thinking of ways she can continue to be involved with her former colleagues, her school, and the students. Over the years, she amassed a large collection of many of her favorite picture books and she hopes to be able to continue to share those with North Haven students.
“One of my favorite things is to share books with children and do art projects with them,” says Anne. “As for retirement, I’m getting used to it and thinking about what I am going to do.”
Anne enjoys her flower garden, reading, and puzzles of all kinds. She and her husband John have been married for 35 years and they plan to do some traveling. They also enjoy attending concerts, especially folk music.
“I have a very loving husband and he and I are looking forward to having more time together and appreciating each other more and more,” says Anne. “I’m very lucky to be very much in love with him.”
She also likes seeing students, former students, and their parents when she is around town. Hearing parents talk about the impact she has had on their children is very meaningful to Anne.
“At the grocery store, a woman was telling me how much her son, who wasn’t in my class but came to my class for skill groups, loved coming to my class. It was a very touching conversation for me that her son enjoyed being in my class even in that short time,” says Anne.
“My career was very long and very satisfying. It is going to take me a while to adjust. Some things about retirement will be nice, but there is a hole in my heart of what I’m going to miss about the time I had with all those many children,” she says. “I cherish the time I had with the kids.”