Saying Goodbye to Ms. Ragsdale

This week, I interviewed one of Roselawn High's English teachers that is retiring as of this Friday. Ms.Ragsdale has been working at Roselawn for 24 years, including this year. She went to Fresno State and majored in Psychology. She didn’t want or think she was going to become a teacher. When she was younger, she wanted to be a baseball player. More specifically for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Her father was a coach and she was good like all the other boys and thought she would want to be a baseball player. When she was in college, she thought she would become a probation officer or a counselor, but not an English teacher. She moved to Turlock, taught at a Jr.High and an elementary school before coming to Roselawn. All she ever cared about was the “at risk kid.” The kid that was always struggling and just needed a bit more help. She felt a connection towards those kids and wanted to make them feel like they weren’t alone, because they aren’t.

The thing that she likes most about teaching at Roselawn and in general is the connection she has with her students. She likes that she can help her students have a better understanding of things. What does Ms. Ragsdale think makes Roselawn special? She thinks that everyone here has bad obstacles in their life and because of that she feels like it creates a place for all of us to grow, gain confidence together, and rise above the circumstances that they are facing. She has noticed that a lot of the students here don’t think that others don’t go through obstacles similar to those that they have faced. When she teaches, she goes at it from that angle. Everything is a possibility, not a problem. Every lesson doesn't have to be academic but realistic, if it doesn't relate to our life then people won’t really care about learning it.

Some of the changes Ms. Ragsdale has noticed at Roselawn that have made her sad were the ending of a lot of the hands-on classes. Examples would be like woodshop, small engines, electronics, foods, etc. She has noticed that they have created a more traditional classroom setting and hopes they will add them back since so many people here are hands-on learners. She also thinks that students have become more accepting of each other, that there aren’t the conflicts that they used to have, and there is awareness of bullying and cruelty. Ms. Ragsdale feels like there are a lot more positive interactions between the students.

On to her personal life, there are quite a lot of things that students who don’t have Ms. Ragsdale may not know. Like she was once on a game show called Scramble, she can play the guitar and drums, and she loves the beach. She plans on going to the beach throughout her retirement. A couple words to describe her are caring, relational, and open minded. Her family describes her as over-helpful, dependent, and loyal. Her household contains her dog and herself but she is never bored since she is often working on her yard or has friends over.

Diving into when she was younger, her happiest moment was when she became a sister. She was almost 7 years old when her parents adopted her brother. Being an only child did have its advantages at times, but she loved having a sibling she could share her life with. He tagged along with her throughout their childhood, all the way up to when she had to leave for college. Fortunately she does still have friends from her childhood! “I’m so lucky! I have a lot of friends from elementary and high school that are still a part of my life. I have one who I’ve known since we were 2 who is still a part of my life! The coolest thing with all of these friends is that we all know each other’s story and pick up right where we left off no matter how much time has passed since we’ve seen each other,” she stated, whilst talking about her childhood friends.

She was then asked, if she could have dinner with anyone from any era in time, who would it be? She chose Lucille Ball from “I Love Lucy”. She always wondered what she was really like in person. “She was brilliant and hysterical, but I always wanted to know her ‘story’...what was behind the humor!” I then asked her what she is looking forward to about retirement. “Two things...not grading assignments and sleeping in! I think I’m most looking forward to not having to think about what time it is. I want to just ‘be’. I can’t wait to slow down and enjoy each moment as it comes. It seems like I’ve spent most of my life being in a hurry or getting ready for the ‘next thing’. I want to sit out on my patio in the morning, listen to the birds, read, sip some tea, and know that I don’t have to go and ‘do’.” She also can’t wait to go to places when it’s not a weekend or vacation time. She will be able to visit her kids and grandkids any time she would like. They are in Texas and Phoenix so she is sure she will be spending a lot of her time with them.

I then asked her about what she will miss most about Roselawn. “Undoubtedly, the students! Each student is special and I’ll miss getting to know each one. I’ll miss the victories, struggles, laughs, surprises. I’ll miss the connections…with staff and students. I will not miss grading assignments!”

Lastly, I asked Ms. Ragsdale if she has any advice to give to the seniors that will be moving on with their lives and this is what she had to say:

“Be humble! Be nice! Use hand sanitizer. Talk to someone who is alone. Be an encourager. Ask for help. Be brave. Look everyone in the eye. We’re in this life together. Realize that you can’t change your past, but you can choose to live ‘right this minute’ to the fullest. Smile more. Cuss less. Get your work done! Say nice things to yourself too! Sometimes we have to be our own cheerleader! Know that you matter! You were created for a purpose! Every single thing in your life will make sense someday, so hang on! The stuff that doesn’t make any sense now, the stuff that you wish wasn’t part of your story, it will allow you to connect with others and life as no one else could! Someone needs you! When that happens in 2 months, 2 years, or 20 years, you can say that someone told you that this would happen! (I’m ALWAYS right!) The world is waiting for you to believe that you are WORTH IT! We live differently when we believe we matter! Dare to dream! Tell those negative voices in your head to ‘SHUT UP’! You’ve got places to go, people to meet, and things to do. Instead of, ‘What if I can’t’... dare to ask, ‘What if I can?’ The sky's the limit!

You are so strong! Every single person at Roselawn has obstacles that they’ve had to overcome. We’ve got a whole school of overcomers! Be proud of yourself! There will always be 3 steps forward, 2 steps back. That’s okay. It’s how we learn, grow, and become who we are meant to be. Sometimes all we can do is take the next step. You’re doing it, so put your shoulders back and show the world that the best lessons in life aren’t learned in a classroom. You’re proof! Live out the positive lessons that the obstacles and hard times have taught you.

I’m proud of each and every one of you! I am grateful for all I’ve learned and shared with each of you! You make me a better person and I’ll miss you!”

We will miss Ms. Ragsdale at school and seeing her through passing periods but! We all hope she enjoys her retirement and is satisfied with how she spent her time at Roselawn High.