June 18, 2010|By Mary Gail Hare, The Baltimore Sun
Nancy Fink handed out congratulations and certificates to 335 eighth-graders Friday as she officiated at her last farewell assembly. The longtime Baltimore County educator is retiring this month after 41 years in education, the last 26 at Dumbarton Middle School in Rodgers Forge.
Nancy Fink handed out congratulations and certificates to 335 eighth-graders Friday as she officiated at her last farewell assembly. The longtime Baltimore County educator is retiring this month after 41 years in education, the last 26 at Dumbarton Middle School in Rodgers Forge.
"I will miss the children the most because they are everything to a teacher," she said on the county's last day of school. "I have no children of my own, but I have been a parent to many all these years. It has been a joy to watch them learn."
Her office is filled with thank-you notes, bouquets, farewell gifts and walls of photographs, many of former students, now adults posing with their own children. The mask of a lion, the school mascot, hangs on the door. A few confiscated items, like the purple soccer ball that should not have made its way to a classroom, will be returned to owners by day's end.
Although teaching methods have varied and all manner of equipment has arrived to assist in the education process, children and their needs have not changed in the past four decades, she said.
"They still need a fabulous teacher who is dedicated to them and forms a relationship with them," she said.
The parents have changed the most, she said. Some have moved from a partnership with schools in their child's education into the role of an adversary, unwilling to listen to constructive criticism, she said. She finds that stance troubling, she said.
"While many parents develop a collegial working relationship with the school, there are also the ultra-involved, who advocate to the point of a defense attorney for the child," she said.
But any negative thoughts vanished as she spoke to students at the assembly. In her opening remarks, she said, "We are here to celebrate you." She included musings on her own leave-taking at the school where she has worked as a teacher, department chair and, for the past seven years, principal.
"You and I are ending our middle-school careers together," she said to the children. "You are going on one path, and I am going on another."
As their names were called and their photos flashed across a wide screen, they marched to the front of the auditorium. They collected awards for academic prowess, perfect attendance, athletics, even the most energetic and the best hair. In a scene that played out at school assemblies across Baltimore County on the last day of classes for the district's more than 104,000 students, they received certificates confirming their promotions.
Amid boisterous cheers and thunderous applause from the audience, Fink congratulated each student, greeting some with what she said was a rehearsed variation on the traditional handshake. There was the butterfly, the fist bump and the full body twist that ended in a truly high five.
Ever the teacher, she gently chided Henry Grant for chewing gum as he accepted an award for outstanding math work. And, a few times, she reminded parents to withhold applause until after all awards were announced.
The normally noisy halls fell silent after the ceremony. Many families lingered at the entrance to the school for more photos, lots of hugs and promises to keep in touch. Many students will attend nearby Towson High School.
"I will still get to hang out with most of my friends," said Ryan Bailey, a rising Towson freshman. "I am really looking forward to high school. I hear the cafeteria food there is better."
As Fink marked her 41st last day of school, she said, "Last days have perks. The tests are over and it's a time for celebration, but the unhappy people still come to the principal."
She will take another week or so to pack her office before she "sails off into the world of buttons." Collecting buttons, some more than 200 years old, has consumed much of her spare time and directed some of the travel she takes with her husband, Bill.
"It is a hobby that transcends and even explains society," she said. "You can learn so much about history, art and culture from a button."
When she leaves with the last cartons and drives to her home in Lutherville, she expects familiar sentiments to envelop her.
"When I leave Dumbarton, I feel uplifted," she said of finishing a good day's work. "I have faith the world will be OK."
mary.gail.hare@baltsun.com
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