By Chris Kyne, Reporter
Kathy Dill retired from Houghton Elementary School in November after 40 years of teaching there on and off.
“I am extremely honored to have been placed at Houghton Elementary school,” Dill said. “Truthfully, there is no other school where I would have wanted to spend my career. It has been wonderful and it has given me a chance to grow and evolve both personally and professionally and it has been a great joy to be there.”
Dill said her time at Houghton was truly special, especially as she was able to see two generations of Sterling families during her time as an educator.
“With all of that time going by, it’s a great joy to have worked with two generations of Sterling families,” Dill said. “What a wonderful experience to see that. Not everyone experiences that in their career and I’m honored to have had that experience.”
Caryn Gorcznski and her daughter are an example of that generational connection. Gorczynski had Dill back in 1983 while Gorczynski’s daughter, who is now 12 years old had Dill more recently.
“I remember her as always being kind and fun in class,” Gorcznski recalled.
Laura Doherty was one of Dill’s students during the 1971-1972 school year after moving to Sterling from out of state.
“I’ll never forget her warm and genuine smile in welcoming me to her class,” Doherty said. “The way she stopped teaching for a few moments to involve me with the other kids and sat me next to a buddy, George Oram, and asked him to look out for me. She made me feel safe, truly welcome and part of the class. It really set the tone for my time at Houghton.”
Longtime Houghton principal Tony Cipro said Dill was an integral part of Houghton for a long time, known for her kind and creative personality.
“She always had an orderly, friendly classroom environment for children,” Cipro said. She provided extra help, encouragement, and instilled a positive attitude within all children to do their best.”
Dill, who was born, raised, and still lives in West Boylston, went to Worcester State where she earned her Bachlors and Master’s in Elementary Education. She started her career in Norwalk, Conn. where she taught for one year before moving back to central Mass.
“I just wanted to try something new,” Dill said of the move to Connecticut. “There were four of us going from Worcester state. “I said let’s give it a try.”
Dill said the secret to success throughout her career has always been a love of the children.
“In order to be an effective teacher, you really do need to love children,” Dill said. “That’s critical. Having an outgoing personality, accepting everybody for how they are and who they are is also important. Having flexibility is also a big part of teaching. At the end of the day, you just have to love children and want to do the best for them.”
Former colleague Trish Keeffe worked with Dill as second grade teachers for about four years. Keeffe said Dill was an amazing educator and colleague.
“She was always upbeat and friendly with staff and children,” Keeffe said. “I miss her infectious laugh and her beautiful smile every day.”
Keeffe also said Dill would bring her many talents to and put them to use in the classroom.
“Mrs. Dill is a wonderful seamstress,” Keeffe said. “She made many outfits for teaching that she would wear throughout the year for the enjoyment of the children. For example, on Earth Day, she would wear a jacket with the world illustrated on it along with globe earrings.”
Dill wears her globe earrings and world map jacket for Earth Day, just one way the beloved teacher incorporated lesson plans into her outfits.
COURTESY: Kathy Dill
Dill was also famous for her class plays, something Keeffe said had a tremendous impact on so many students.
“She is very creative and for many years her second grade class would perform a play that she had written about Mary Sawyer of ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’ fame,” Keffee said. “This was a wonderful way for the children to learn about Sterling history.”
Zachary Brennan, now a senior at Wachusett Regional High School said Dill had a direct impact on his future thanks to her famous class plays.
“She cast me in a lead role in her yearly play, which was my first real experience performing on a stage, and I loved it,” Brennan said. “I kept taking opportunities to perform in different capacities and now I’m going to become a music major when I attend college next year. Mrs. Dill has come to concerts I’ve been a part of in high school, performances that I first found I had a love for doing in her class.”
Dill said while the overall goals of teaching have remained the same, many of the methods have changed.
“We used to teach the how, and now we teach the how and the why,” Dill said. “The programs are now multi dimensional, all inclusive. Students are expected to investigate and collaborate with each other. In the past it was more of ‘this is how you do it, trust me.’ Now students learned the why, and they do it through collaborative methods with their peers.”
Dill also admitted she misses being in the classroom.
“I miss teaching terribly,” Dill said. “What I miss is the children. I also miss the staff, I absolutely adore the staff. They have become good friends. At Houghton school, they always say it was a family and it really is a family.”
With her retirement does bring more free time, and Dill said she does a lot of knitting, sewing and crocheting these days. Soon, she hopes to get back to what she truly enjoys doing, which is traveling.
“That’s been my love,” Dill explained. “I’ve always felt that children and anyone else need to be citizens of the world. You’re not just concentrated on Sterling, or Massachusetts or the United States. We are all part of the world. And I have tried to bring that into the classroom. Whenever I can make a connection, overseas or such, I try to bring that back with me.
As for future educators, Dill urged those interested in the profession to pursue it.
“It’s definitely a calling,” Dill said. “So I think you have to follow that. If you feel pulled to do it, don’t hesitate. You will find that teaching is a gift that you give to yourself, but it’s also an immeasurable gift that you give to your children and the families that you work with. It’s also an investment in the future.”