Published: July 05, 2008 09:38 pm      

Oakwood High retires three teachers

FITHIAN — Oakwood High School said goodbye to three faculty members — Judy Steffen, Terry Goodner and Dave Mar-well — at the end of this school year.

Judy Steffen

Judy Steffen started teaching English/speech class at Armstrong High School and later returned to teaching language arts at Potomac Junior High.

Steffen, however, has spent the last 30 years at Oakwood High School, primarily teaching English IV and speech communications class, rhetoric 101, a dual enrollment class with Danville Area Community College.

“My mother, Joan Crawford, was my greatest influence in becoming a teacher. She taught primary grades for over 30 years. My father, Gene Crawford, also taught me how to get along with people.

“I also had a junior high teacher named Mr. McLaughlin who convinced me that English was the subject I wanted to teach.

Steffen said one of the changes she has seen in her years of teaching is students are smarter and more worldly.

“They grow up so fast that they can’t be kids anymore,” she said. “Many students come to school tired because of working 30 or 40 hours a week. I think being a good student is work enough.

“I will miss my classroom in the fall because I love to decorate my room and see students enter the first day of school,” she said.

“I plan to teach a couple of classes at DACC and travel to visit my daughter in Texas, spend time with my family and friends and walk my dog, Mandy, more.”

Terry Goodner

Terry Goodner has been at Oakwood High School as a counselor for 28 years.

He was at Effingham High School as a counselor for four years and at Cissna Park Junior High School, where he taught math/social studies for four years.

“My greatest influence for teaching was Don Cunningham, my seventh/eighth grade teacher at Henning Grade School,” he said.

Goodner noted the primary changes in teaching have been in the world of technology and its rapid advancement.

“When I began teaching, there were no cell phones, iPods, computers or even calculators,” he said.

“Also the nuclear family has a different look. Multiple family names are in homes, sometimes four or five,” he said.

“With the divorce rate at 52 percent, students have issues to deal with at home that impact their level of performance at school.”

After retirement, Goodner plans to find a job, possibly at DACC, and spend time with his two grandchildren, Kolby, 5, and Addison, 2, who live in Seymour with his son Jason and daughter-in-law Kari.

“I will also spend time serving as an elder and treasurer at Crossroads Christian Church in Danville,” he said.

Dave Markwell

Dave Markwell, 56, has taught 20 years at Oakwood High School in the subjects of physical education, health, psychology and drivers’ education/coach.

Before that, Markwell taught history, geography and physical education and coached for four years at St Joseph-Ogden.

He also taught history and physical education and was an athletic director/coach during his six years at Beecher City.

He also taught history and geography and was a coach for one year at Ruidoso, N.M.; taught history and was a coach at Newton High School; and taught history, physical education, health, geography and economics and was a coach during his two years at Westfield High School.

“My biggest influence for teaching was Bob Crane, my junior high teacher and coach, and Bill Waltrip, my high school athletic director/coach,” he said.

“Teaching has changed in the discipline aspect, as now your teachers can’t paddle or touch children,” he said.

“As far as teaching today, a lot of children want to take the easy way out and don’t study as hard for tests or do homework,” he said. “They expect things given to them instead of working hard for their grade. There are some exceptions in all schools.”

Markwell’s future plans include fishing, hunting, umpiring baseball and softball games, training race horses, substitute teaching, driving tour buses for Bales Unlimited in Effingham and coaching wrestling.

JUDY STEFFEN

Years at Oakwood: 30

Total years yeaching: 31

Other school districts: Armstrong and Potomac

Hobbies: Spend time with family.

TERRY GOODNER

Age: 57

Years at Oakwood: 28

Total years teaching: 36

Other school districts: Effingham and Cissna Park

Hobbies: Spending time with family and church as an elder.

DAVE MARKWELL

Age: 56

Years at Oakwood: 20

Total years teaching: 34

Other school districts: St. Joseph-Ogden, Beecher City, Ruidoso, N.M., Newton and Westfield.

Hobbies: Fishing, hunting, umpiring baseball, training race horses, coaching wrestling.