At the end of the school year, the Lakeshore School Division will say goodbye to three long-standing educators, Joanne Kiesman, Patty Goranson and Gail Postlethwaite.
On June 30, 2023, these ladies who have worked in the education system for decades will close a chapter in their lives and open a new one as they begin retirement.
Joanne Kiesman – Alf Cuthbert School in Moosehorn
Joanne Kiesman started working with the Lakeshore School Division for the second time in September 1992. She had previously worked with the division for a year, from 1985 to 1986.
Although Kiesman spent most of her career with the Lakeshore School Division, she didn’t start her teaching career with this division.
Kiesman started teaching in 1980 in Leaf Rapids. In 1982, she taught at CFB Gypsumville, then the following year at the school in Gypsumville for the Frontier School Division. After that, she only subbed for a few years when her children were young.
Currently, she teaches at Alf Cuthbert School in Moosehorn.
Kiesman said most of her time has been with Ashern Early Years School, but she has also taught at Ashern Central School.
For the past few years, she has taught all subject areas in grades 3 and 4, but she has taught every grade from Kindergarten to 9.
“I have learned more from my students than they have probably learned from me,” said Kiesman.
Kiesman said her favourite thing about her job is spending time doing what she loves daily.
“No two days are the same. It is always interesting and sometimes challenging,” she said.
Her favourite memory is seeing the excited and surprised looks of the students when they grasp a concept for the first time.
She said she would miss most seeing and learning about the students and spending time with her colleagues.
“My husband says that after 60 years of going to school, I have finally learned enough to graduate,” said Kiesman.
Patty Goranson – Lundar School
In the fall of 1989, Patty Goranson started working in the Lakeshore School Division. First, she started subbing; then, signed a term contract teaching Kindergarten and music. Her first teaching position was with Frontier School Division, teaching nursery to grade 4 in Bissett, Manitoba. She was there for two years before moving to Lundar. In 1990, she got a permanent contract and has taught Kindergarten in Lundar and Eriksdale, music, resource, and grade 3 and 4 in Lundar ever since. I have been teaching for 36 years.
Currently, Goranson teaches grades 3 and 4 at Lundar School. She said her favourite subjects to teach had been ELA and social studies, with a particular enjoyment for teaching about Canadian democracy and participating in CIVIX Student Vote.
A fun fact about Goranson is that she taught most parents who now have children in her classroom.
Her favourite thing about her job is getting to know her students and creating a positive learning experience.
“I enjoy watching that light bulb when a student first gets a new concept,” said Goranson.
One of her other fond memories was the Totally Unbelievable Speakers Club (TUSC). The club teaches students how to run a meeting and speak in front of the class.
“I think the skills students get from these meetings have been useful throughout their lives. I would like to add that the support parents gave their child every week to be ready for TUSC did not go unnoticed. I think parents may have cursed TUSC and my name a few times, trying to fit it into their busy schedules,” said Goranson.
Goranson’s favourite memory in her teaching career is of all the Christmas concerts and festivals.
“The creative, hard work of students and colleagues to perform and make lifelong memories for our community fills my heart,” she said.
She also looks back at the many times her classes have had rip-roaring belly laughs over the silly things that happen while learning.
What Goranson will miss most is the children and watching them grow.
“I will miss my amazing colleagues and being part of a team that has the children’s best interests at heart. I will miss our school community. I will miss the laughter,” she said.
Lundar School won’t have to miss Goranson too much when she retires, as she said she plans to come back and sub.
“They won’t be completely rid of me yet.”
In her retirement, Goranson plans to travel extensively and spend more time with family. In addition, she hopes to keep active with running, hiking, and biking, and might even take up pickleball.
“I have been in the education system since I was five. It is time to try something new,” she said.
Gail Postlethwaite – Inwood School
Gail Postlethwaite started working with the Lakeshore School Division in the fall of 1987. She had just graduated from the double degree five-and-a-half-year program at the University of Manitoba and was hired to teach home economics (75 per cent) and grade 7 English Language Arts.
Postlethwaite was a classroom teacher for the first 34 years of her career, and the last two years she has spent as a principal. She spent 23 years at Ashern Central School and then moved to Inwood School, where she has taught for the last 13 years.
Some highlights of her teaching career come from travelling trips with students.
Postlethwaite and one of her colleagues started the grade 9 trip to Minneapolis at Ashern Central, which became the grade 7/8 trip every other year. The trip ran from 1989 to 2009.
In 2017, she took a small group of travellers on an EF TOURS trip to London, Paris, and Rome for nine days. In 2018, she offered a nine-day Canadian heritage tour in Montreal, Québec City, Ottawa, Toronto, and Niagara Falls for students in Inwood and Ashern.
“On this trip, I had parent chaperones who were students on my Minneapolis trip,” Postlethwaite said.
When thinking back on her teaching career, her favourite things about the job are sharing her love of learning and building relationships with students.
“Always thinking that each and every day is unique and showing excitement for my love of learning and encouraging the students to do their best work and to be proud of it. Making connections with the students and providing them the opportunity to gain skills, knowledge, and a positive mindset.”
Over her 36 years in the division, many memories stand out for Postlethwaite.
She did a lot of coaching for middle years baseball and ran a curling program for middle years students in Ashern. For many years, she hosted fashion shows for her home ec students in Ashern and Moosehorn to showcase their talents and projects. Another favourite memory is making grad quilts with the students in their human ecology class last year.
But she said her most favourite memory is when one of her students submitted an assignment saying she was their role model because she came back to teach just as good, if not better, after a health setback.
Postlethwaite said she will miss the staff and students, planning and preparing Christmas dinners and special hot lunches for the students, and all the unique activities that made Inwood School feel like a small family to her.
“In some ways, the last 36 years have flown by, but I look forward to continuing the journey of lifelong learning,” said Postlethwaite.
