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A Day in the Life of a Dedicated School Employee

thepurpleonion

 By Joellynn Dwinal



As students bustle through the long school days, staff work tirelessly to ensure students are doing well and getting their work done. Whether it's supervising kids in Spanish 2 and 3 or watching the bleachers at football games, Mrs. Wildes's dedication to her work and students is evident. She was recently interviewed to find out her daily routines, her passions, and her thoughts on her retirement.


Connecting With Students: The Heart Of The Job

When asked if she enjoys her job, Mrs. Wildes responded with a sweet and simple answer, “I love my job.” Her favorite part? “Connecting with kids, I've always felt I can build good relationships with kids, and I care enough about them. I've always used the term with kids that are having hardships, that ‘You can't make excuses for them, but you can always understand what kids are going through.’ I didn't have an easy growing up life so I've kind of hope that I've helped kids along the way. But my main focus is working with kids.” For her, the goal isn't just to teach or supervise students, but to genuinely care for their well-being and success. She clearly feels a natural ability to build strong relationships with her students. 


A Day In The Life: Balancing Work And Passion

Mrs. Wildes's typical work day begins with sitting down at her desk and opening her computer, getting settled into her classroom for the day. When the bell rings and her students come in for class she checks her attendance, making sure all the kids are there on time, or at least have good excuses for being late. Mrs. Wildes expressed, “This has been an online class so I keep pushing them to get work done each day.” Beyond the classroom, she is often roaming the hallways making sure the students are getting to where they need to be. In the evenings Mrs. Wildes said, “I like night supervision and sports, I have done probably 30 years, maybe 29 years of bleacher supervision for football games, and I have only missed one home game because I thought I should probably go to my daughter's rehearsal dinner.” She doesn't just go to supervise football games, she also does soccer, basketball, track, etc.  


Early Mornings And A Tiny Companion 

Days for Mrs. Wildes starts her days pretty early- waking up around 4:30 am to 5:00 am. When asked what her typical morning routine looks like, she responded, “I'll watch the news, and see what's happening, sometimes, usually, it's depressing stories but sometimes it's fun. Then I take my dog out. I've got a 6-pound shorkie ( shih-tzu, Yorkie). And then I'll go, maybe sometimes get something to eat and he sits on my lap until I leave because he knows I'm leaving, so I just bond with my dog and then I take off and go to work.”  Mrs. Wildes's granddaughter named her dog Oreo because of his black and white fur. She enjoys her dog's unconditional love and his good companionship. Mrs. Wildes expressed she loves her dog because “They don't ask for money, they don't talk back.” 

Retirement: A New Chapter

As Mrs. Wildes nears her retirement, she tells what she hopes her life will look like after retirement. “ I'm hoping to maybe volunteer at some place, but as outgoing as I am that doesn't appeal to me.” She also expressed that she hopes she doesn't lounge all day. “I hope I don't sit in my chair because I am an addict of TV. I have my shows I like to watch.” She is also very passionate about baking, everybody loves her cheesecake and she is also hoping to try some new recipes. Mrs. Wildes said that she wants to try using yeast to make bread. “I've already started making homemade croissants that have turned out nice.” She has also said that she wants to take a cake decorating class but she quickly followed with, “but that sounds like too much work.”

Mrs. Wildes explained during the interview that she was the oldest of her seven siblings, so her mom depended on her to cook a lot of the meals for them. She didn't mind all that much though, “She actually did me a favor, being that she threw me into the kitchen and I just took off.” She said that cooking is, and always was relaxing for her, besides the time when she had to pick veggies and ingredients from the garden. “I don't like heat, I hate it. I hope we don't have some of those hot summers.” Despite looking forward to more free time from her retirement, Mrs. Wildes said, “The idea of retiring, and I think it's gonna be called semi-retiring at this point, scares me because that means that what you've done now is going into the last part of your life” The last wish she shared during her interview for her retirement is to do more things with her grandchildren, enjoying activities together and making more memories.


The Future: Balancing Relaxation And Adventure

Although Mrs. Wildes doesn't expect a dramatic change in her daily routine after retirement, she's still looking forward to the time she will get to spend with her family. “Things won't change, I like to get in my car and go to Costco. I'm not a big shopper but when I have things to do, retirement is gonna free me up.” She also said that she hopes to stay healthy and go on walks with her dog Oreo at Westbrook Park. “We look for deer and stuff, so that's something that I wanna keep doing.” Mrs. Wildes is excited that she will have more time to get ready for holiday parties with her family. She likes to make a lot of food. She says “There's that old adage when you retire; clean out the closet, do all this other stuff, I'll probably get a dumpster.” It sounds like Mrs. Wildes will have a lot of free time that she's looking forward to after retirement.

Whether it's baking, spending time with family, or enjoying a walk with her dog, Mrs. Wildes's future is full of adventure. Yet, her passion for the school and her students will always remain close to her heart.




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The Purple Onion | School Newspaper | Central DeWitt High School | DeWitt, IA

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