Latin School of Chicago

Mary Durkin First Grade Teacher YEARS OF SERVICE 1987-2013 Mary Durkin's influence as a master teacher and mentor in the lower school cannot be underestimated: Seven of the 21 current homeroom teachers got their start at Latin as assistant teachers in her classroom. A 2011 recipient of the Shipp Award for Excellence in Teaching, Durkin has long been committed to supporting the next generation of teachers. During her years at Latin, she helped to develop and lead the nationally recognized Assistant Teacher program, which is a three-year internship-type opportunity for young teachers that is unique to the school. After three years, Durkin said, "We've got a pretty good sense of who they are as teachers." Only the very best assistants are brought on as full-time faculty, and a good number of them had their first classroom experience with Durkin. When Durkin began as a junior kindergarten teacher in 1987, it was the dedication of Latin teachers that most impressed her. "I remember thinking there was no dead wood in the faculty," she said. "No one was resting on their laurels, and everyone was working really hard. I've maintained that opinion over the years." She came to Latin after teaching at the now defunct Mundelein College and in a Head Start program on the West Side of Chicago. Durkin spent three years in the U.S. Teacher Corps in Buffalo, NY, and served briefly in Afghanistan in the Peace Corps. (She became very ill in her first months there and had to cut short her deployment.) Durkin is the mother of three Latin graduates and plans to spend at least part of her retirement taking care of a "pretty new" grandson. "When my daughter goes back to work, I'll take over his primary care. So that will be great," she said. But as much as she'll enjoy her grandson's company, she knows she'll also miss her colleagues, not to mention her students. "I love first grade," she said. "It's a wonderful year – everything is changing so quickly. One of the nicest things about this job is that it's a new job every year. You start over every fall." The job of teaching has evolved over the years – "We used to do our reports in quadruplicate and use a ditto machine!" – as has Durkin. "I've changed as my knowledge of children has grown," she said. "You get better over time at seeing what children need and how to best support them." "No one was resting on their laurels, and everyone was working really hard. I've maintained that opinion over the years." LATI N SCHOOL OF CHI CA GO 19

• Cover