Beloved Teacher Retires After 45 Years of Loving, Dedicated Service
“My first- and second-grade teacher asked one day, ‘Who wants to be a teacher when you grow up?’ She needed a helper. My hand shot up and I never looked back. That became my goal through to my college graduation!” -Janet Chase
The Kentucky-Tennessee Conference Office of Education had the privilege of honoring Janet Chase, who is retiring at the end of the 2020/2021 school year after 45 years of service in Adventist Education.
Chase began her career in 1976 in Roanoke, Va., at the Adventist elementary school teaching grades 4-6. A year later she taught grades 1-2 at Manassas Elementary for one year, then settled into a grade 2 classroom at Browning Elementary in South Lancaster, Mass., for the next 26 years. While teaching at Browning, she started a family. She raised her two boys, Nathan and Ben, and was an outstanding Pathfinder director. Chase enjoyed teaching her own two boys in her classroom and mentoring new incoming teachers throughout the years.
In 2006, she moved to Andrews University to be the director of the Children’s Learning Center. There she supervised 35 employees, maintained Michigan licensure for the center, and interacted with the parents and families of the children she served. Also in 2006, Taylor Mill Christian Academy (TMCA) in Taylor Mill, Ky., opened a new lower grade position, transitioning from a one-teacher school to a two-teacher school. Chase agreed to come to Taylor Mill, committing to three years. But, after three years, she decided she had not had enough, and ended up working for two additional years, bringing her total years served in Kentucky-Tennessee to five.
The last two years have been tough with COVID-19, but Chase has a ready smile, a strong work ethic, and the love of Jesus in her heart.
Chase will always be remembered as a loving teacher, and keeps in touch with many of her former co-workers and students. She enjoys learning about the milestones they accomplish in life. Many fondly remember their days in her classroom. She will be greatly missed.
Kentucky-Tennessee | July 2021
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