Family consumer sciences teacher Kathy Newcom has been teaching for 47 years. Newcom did not start her career in Augusta; originally, she taught for a short time in Nebraska and moved to Kansas after her second year of teaching.
“I went to a school in southwest Nebraska, which had 100 students in the high school,” Newcom said. “I was part-time my first year; the second year I taught there, I taught math and science classes.”
Her third year of teaching included a move to Kansas.
“I moved to this region where I taught at Udall for 18 years,” Newcom said.
When we enrolled in Kansas State University, she planned to pursue a career in the medical field.
“I started out in nursing school; in about the third year out of four, we were doing IVs, and I started crying,” Newcom said. “I couldn’t quit crying when I was giving people IVs, so I decided this probably wasn’t the career for me.”
While retirement can be exciting for some teachers, others miss certain aspects of the job. Including things like routine, friends and keeping busy.
“I’m going to miss the routine and seeing people,” Newcom said.
After retirement, Newcom plans to keep herself busy with friends to fill her schedule.
After retirement with no job to fill her schedule, Newcom plans to keep herself busy with friends.
“I reconnected with a high school girlfriend; we’re going to do some traveling,” Newcom said. “We have travel plans to go to Mackinac Island.”
Newcom also wants to continue working and volunteering.
“I have talked about volunteering at the pregnancy support in El Dorado, and maybe the hospital in El Dorado,” Newcom said.
