OUR NEIGHBORS: Teacher retires after 27 years of helping children

Frontiersman

WASILLA — It’s 12:30 on a Friday afternoon, and the 21 students in Kendra Pepperd’s second-grade class have launched into an enthusiastic rendition of “Happy Birthday.”

It’s a scene Pepperd has witnessed hundreds of times, but on this day the party is also for her. Surrounded by flowers sent by colleagues, parents and former students, Pepperd is emotional reflecting on a 27-year career as a Valley educator.

When Pepperd first taught the children of former students, “I’m going, ‘Boy, have I been here this long?’” she said. “It’s interesting to see that kids are not moving away and staying here. It says Alaska has a lot to offer families.”

When school closes for the summer, so will Pepperd’s teaching career. She’s retiring.

“I look at it more as an advancement, changing what I’m doing,” she said. “I think it’s unique to be able to be in the kids’ lives in the community.”

Pepperd first came to Alaska in 1977 and has seen a lot in local education. She first taught at what is now Wasilla City Hall and recalls that the building she was supposed to teach in was condemned. She also remembers a 1981 fire that burned the school down.

“We started over,” Pepperd said.

While there have been many challenges and changes in education, the basics of teaching remain largely the same, she said. Over her career, Pepperd’s taught about 675 students, and thinks children today have more challenges than a generation ago.

“I think a generation ago had less to worry about,” she said. “I think kids today have more things to deal with — families using their time wisely, being diverted into movies, videos, that kind of thing. It makes more challenges for the teacher.”

Teachers still need patience and an ability to actually listen to their students, she said.

If you show fear, “They can run you over,” she said. “Like now. They know I’m being distracted, so they’re not doing what they’re supposed to. You do need patience, you need understanding, but you also have to have an understanding of the kids and what their backgrounds are, what their needs are. Each child is an individual and their needs are individual.”

That Pepperd has affected lives over the course of her career is evident from the mobile greenhouse created by a steady stream of flowers and plants delivered to her room.

It’s that ability to play a role in helping mold young lives that she said is so rewarding. It’s also what makes her tear up with emotion when contemplating her upcoming retirement.

“There were times I was working in preschool when you would get kids who couldn’t even speak and get them learning to sign,” she said. “That was memorable, the small steps are memorable.”

She also believes that, regardless of an ongoing dispute between the Mat-Su Borough School District and the unions that represent its staff, teachers will continue to do what they believe is in the best interest of their students.

“I think this is just a bump in the road,” she said. “There’s always going to be distractions. I think our teachers are professional and they want the best for kids. Sometimes they see the things being asked of them are not in the best interest of kids. I think that’s the most important thing we need to do is to know what’s the best thing for the kids.”

If a room full of flowers wasn’t enough to show Pepperd her work is appreciated, Ayanna Basargin’s empathy might be. Noticing her teacher getting emotional, Basargin brought her a tissue.

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.