Even in retirement, she keeps on teaching kids

Roseanna Henrichsen’s grandson is now in kindergarten at her former school.

“About four years ago I retired with a total of 34 years of teaching. I taught kindergarten. The last 16 years I taught gifted and talented at the kindergarten level. Those were some pretty bright kids.

“It was hard to give it up. But I decided there probably wasn’t anybody who wants a 60-year-old kindergarten teacher. Physically, it gets to be a little harder. There was no more getting on the floor with the kids. It was more like sitting in the rocker.

“After I quit I got a little bored, so that’s when I began tutoring kindergartners, and first- and second-graders in reading. These are the kids who are struggling to read. But I’ve seen huge progress, especially with my kindergartners. Some of them came in not even knowing their letters, sounds or anything. Almost all of them are able to do some reading now.

“They just work hard for you. At the end of the day I give them one Skittle. You would think I was giving them $1 million. They work really hard for their Skittle.”

— Roseanna Henrichsen