Issue link: http://latinschool.uberflip.com/i/246730
UP FRONT 2013 RETIREES Sally Ott Lower School Director YEARS OF SERVICE 1985-2013 When Sally Ott took over as director of the lower school in 2008, she brought to the job a deep understanding of classroom dynamics – and of the special bond that forms between a teacher and her students. A Latin faculty member since 1985, Ott was a longtime fourth grade classroom teacher. She also served as a reading resource instructor for students throughout the lower school. Ott loved being a classroom teacher. "Living with a group of 21 kids for nine months, there are just so many wonderful things about that. I interact with more kids now, and that's special, too. While I don't get to know the kids and their families as well as I did as a classroom teacher, I've loved having morning visitors from various grade levels come to my office to share what's going on in their classrooms." Ott's new position provided other benefits, including an entirely different view of Latin. "It gave me a much more global perspective on the whole school. As a classroom teacher you want to know what's happening, but you're focused on your own students, on what's going on in your classroom." The new job, she said, "gave me a real appreciation for the other divisions, the behind-the-scenes work that goes into making a school run smoothly." As she prepared to leave Latin, she arrived at a kind of happy equilibrium between the two roles. "I really love mentoring and working with teachers," she said. "I've kind of exchanged that profound relationship I had with the kids for a profound relationship with teachers." Ott said she hopes to catch up on her reading in retirement, and possibly do some substitute teaching in the suburb where she lives. "That way I won't have to face the Eisenhower every day," she said. She also hopes to continue working in education. No one should expect her to send missives from exotic locales, Ott said. "I'm not a real traveler," she said. "But my family's on the west coast, and I hope to spend more time out there." She hasn't had any luck convincing her husband to move there – yet. Ott knows that as much as she enjoys her retirement – "This is the first time I can remember when I don't have to schedule every minute of my day!" – she's expecting the inevitable pangs when fall rolls around again. "I really can't imagine school starting without me," she said. "Since I was in first grade, school has never started without me. Every September things start fresh, and there's a great energy to that, which I'm really going to miss." "Since I was in first grade, school has never started without me. Every September things start fresh, and there's a great energy to that, which I'm really going to miss." 22 L AT I N M AGAZINE