Many current freshmen have found their first year of high school to be full of challenges, the greatest being an increased workload. Those that elected to take Honors Biology are under no exception. Fortunately, though, these Honors Biology students are being taught by none other than Ms. Adams—a tenured professional who has taught science at Big Walnut for 34 years. 

Before she ever tries to implement lessons on RNA or cellular respiration, Ms. Adams makes a conscientious effort to get to know her students. She says this process looks different for each student, but it’s incredibly important for her students’ transition to high school. “If I can get the students to know me and I know them,” says Ms. Adams, “then my classroom will be successful.”

In addition to getting to know her students, Ms. Adams also enhances the learning environment with labs and hands-on activities. “Chaos doesn’t bother me at all, so I like it when we are moving around,” says Ms. Adams. Throughout the years, Ms. Adams has grown to enjoy some labs more than others, such as the dissection lab, but she says that her favorite labs are always the ones that her students enjoy the most.

Like any great teacher, Ms. Adams loves her lab activities because she gets to witness her students get excited about new, valuable knowledge. “When students first use a microscope,” says Ms. Adams, “they are exposed to a ‘hidden world’ that they’ve never seen before, and their excitement when seeing it for the first time always energizes me.” When a professional is able to find moments of joy within their everyday job, they tend to maximize their success and impact on others. Take Ms. Adams as a perfect example.

The truth about any Honors course is that some students will need extra help. When this is the case, Ms. Adams does not hesitate to donate a lot of her time outside of class to review the material. “In class, I try to get my students to ask me as many questions as possible,” says Ms. Adams, “and I always have an open door for students who need extra help.”

As Ms. Adams prepares to retire at the end of this school year, she has spent some time considering what Big Walnut means to her. “I have always loved the family feeling here at Big Walnut and how invested the community is in our schools,” says Ms. Adams. When Ms. Adams was first hired over 30 years ago, someone told her that “Big Walnut is Sunbury,” meaning that the city of Sunbury’s identity is inseparable from that of the Big Walnut Local School District. Even as a teacher in her final year, Ms. Adams still wholeheartedly believes in this statement.

Ms. Adams hasn’t forgotten that quote because the vast majority of her adult life has played out while working at BWHS. During her tenure here, Ms. Adams has had kids of her own, and she has also had three very close losses. In each of these cases, the Big Walnut community has rallied behind Ms. Adams and she is extremely grateful for how supportive the school has been to her. Ms. Adams will always stand by and appreciate the power of a strong, caring community. 

Throughout her years, Ms. Adams has taught many subjects, including Regular, Honors, and CCP Biology, Environmental Science, and 20+ years of Anatomy. In all of these cases, Ms. Adams has dedicated herself to making science as useful as possible outside of the classroom. “A lot of students aren’t going to college,” says Ms. Adams, “so I’ve always tried to make science as applicable as possible.”

With such diligence in her profession, Ms. Adams has left a noteworthy legacy that her current and former students won’t forget. “Ms. Adams is good at getting the information to her students in a way that they can easily understand,” says Senior Tom Ross. Mason Rush, a senior who had Ms. Adams for CCP Biology, stated, “Ms. Adams is a very caring teacher, and she has positively impacted my senior year in a major way.”

With so much experience in education, Ms. Adams offers the following advice for students who want to become a teacher:

“You really have to be dedicated to it, and you have to realize that there will be rough days, but it’s always worth it in the end.”

No matter how much education changes in the future, Ms. Adams believes that the one thing will remain constant—students will only receive as much as their teachers put in. For more than three decades, students have received nothing but Ms. Adams’ very best, which has allowed the students to maximize their success.

Ms. Adams has also dedicated herself to her colleagues. “She has been an amazing mentor for so many new teachers,” says Principal Jados. Throughout all of his years in education, Jados believes that Ms. Adams is one of the most dedicated and passionate teachers [he has] ever met.” Such high praise is well-deserved.

There’s a noble saying that goes, “you win with people.” For Ms. Adams, this saying couldn’t be more true—she accredits her enjoyable tenure at BWHS to the people that have always surrounded her. “I have truly enjoyed the life of working in the high school,” says Ms. Adams,“and I will miss the social aspect of this profession: the kids and my colleagues.” Throughout her tenure, Ms. Adams has been a passionate educator, caring mentor, and kind-hearted friend to countless people. Her teaching legacy is more than memorable, and she will be missed for her genuine spirit and marked impression on Big Walnut’s culture. While this chapter of Ms. Adams’ life comes to a close, one thing will always remain constant: “The students are where my heart is.”

Certain people are destined to accomplish something noteworthy, something that fulfills their life and the lives of others. But how do they do it? Were these people born with uncanny abilities that paved the way for easy success? Did they continuously hit strokes of luck, stumble across the four leaf clover? Surely not.

Triumphing over their God-given abilities or their God-permitting strokes of luck was their genuine love for their profession. The willingness to wake up tired, go to bed tired, pursue something honorable, and yes, even fail.

So it’s not surprising that before the first period bell Señora Burchett has already drank her coffee, visited the copy room, graded last night’s homework, met with a struggling student, and reviewed the day’s lesson plan. With a jovial “¡Hola, chicos!” she will greet her Spanish students with the same excitement that she felt 32 years ago on her first day of teaching.

For Señora, it’s not about teaching the mere ins and outs of the Spanish language. It’s about connecting with the students, teaching them to care, and equipping them with the soft skills necessary for life. “For me, the biggest thing is getting to know who the kids are,” said Burchett, “not only as students but as unique individuals.”

Before class begins, Señora strolls about the classroom engaging with her students, showing how much she cares, setting the stage for a successful lesson:

“How was your weekend?”

“Oh, I love that shirt! Where did you buy it?”

“Tell me what you did last night!”

“I saw you play in the game last night, great job!”

Students feel comfortable giving Señora a glimpse into their personal lives. “There is no teacher as caring as Señora,” said senior student Sam Fujii, “she cares so deeply about her students and she is one of the teachers who I will remember for the rest of my life.”

Following a quick warm-up and a review of last night’s homework, Señora starts the lesson. Despite some concepts being difficult, it’s guaranteed that Señora’s students will receive a surplus of resources. “I’m constantly reteaching the concept in varying ways,” said Burchett, “because repetition alone isn’t enough.” 

At the end of the period, a student raises their hand, eraser shavings speckle the desktop—it’s clear they’re not understanding the lesson. Thankfully, Señora is eager to offer up her time for individual instruction. “Why don’t you come during my lunch hour?” says Burchett.

Señora understands better than most teachers how to get through to her students. Her key, you may ask? Pouring her heart into everything that she teaches, no matter how many times it must be retaught.

“I have to present and sell everything that I’m doing for one simple reason: if I don’t love it, the students won’t love it either,” says Burchett, “and it’s always a beautiful thing when a students says, ‘I get it now.’”

And truthfully, most students do love it. In Señora’s class, the Spanish content goes from a convoluted array of vocabulary and conjugations to an engaging, nuanced elective. Maestra Viau, the Honors Spanish III instructor, says, “Señora’s Spanish II students come to my class so well-prepared for an honors course.”

As a decorated, veteran teacher, Señora has surely expanded her passion for teaching throughout the years. After three decades, Señora has seen it all. Thousands of students. Hundreds of coworkers. Several different principals. Immeasurable opportunities for growth. 

Nonetheless, Señora believes that her love for education has been present since she was a child. “Ever since I was a little girl—six or seven years old—I knew I wanted to be a teacher,” says Burchett. And without her parents, she may not have pursued education at all:

“I think my passion for teaching is a reflection of my upbringing. The way that I was raised—as a happy and nurtured child—made me want to provide similar feelings to the students in the classroom. To this day, I strive to bring joy into my students’ lives.”

And joyous the students are. “I will always remember Señora’s demeanor and the way in which she made class so fun every day,” said senior Vincent Giordano. For three decades, freshmen and seniors alike have been the beneficiaries of Señora’s presence. 

“You have to find something to fill your cup, and teaching has filled my cup every single day,” said Señora, reflecting back on her long career. That sense of fulfillment is surely due, in large part, to the students. Señora says, “I’ve connected with kids in a way that I never thought possible.”

“I will miss the community and the relationships that I’ve developed here as well,” noted Señora. Among students, parents, staff members, and administrators, that feeling is mutual—Señora will be dearly missed. “It will be impossible to replace her,” said Principal Andy Jados.

So, when the day’s final bell rings—after the new copies are made and the homework assigned; after the struggling students no longer struggle; after tomorrow’s lesson plan is altered, scrapped, re-formulated, and finally ironed out; after the playing of Spanish games and the watching of videos; after countless students have smiled and felt their worth; after her cup has been filled to the brim—Señora will exit the high school’s doors no less lively than when she entered them at 6:30 that morning.

If Señora’s teaching career had been a lifeform, you’d want to shake its hand, share a hug, and become its friend. Señora may not like to acknowledge these truths, but they remain truths all the same. She views her 32 year tenure and upcoming retirement as something simpler:

“I’ll just miss the kids.”