After 44 years of teaching, Phyllis Peterson is retiring from a career that has taken her through schools in Idaho and Utah and into the lives of more than 1,100 students.
Peterson graduated from Spanish Fork High School in 1976 and Utah State University in 1980. She began her career at Oakwood Elementary in Preston, Idaho, teaching third grade. She later taught at Discovery Days in Hepburn, Idaho and Rupert Elementary in Rupert, Idaho before returning to Utah. She spent eight years at Westside School in Springville, before she finally found her home at Mt. Loafer Elementary in Salem, where she taught for 29 years.
Her path into teaching began early, inspired by a simple gesture—her first-grade teacher attending her birthday party. That moment stayed with her and helped shape the kind of teacher she wanted to be.
She also drew inspiration from former Utah Senator Orrin Hatch. “He was a hero of mine because he had the ability to compromise, listen to others, and make fair decisions. He would go out of his way to make you feel important!! I tried to have those same abilities each school day as I taught. My goal was to teach in public school for as long as he was a senator, which was 42 years!”
Over time, Peterson became especially known for her work in kindergarten. At one point, when she asked to teach reading recovery in the afternoons, her principal told her, “You are the Queen of Kindergarten in the district. I can’t have you teaching anything else.”
Her teaching philosophy was straightforward: “Do what you love and love what you do.” She often emphasized that building relationships mattered just as much as teaching content, stating “teaching is love made visible.” One of her favorite quotes comes from Theodore Roosevelt: “Students don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
Peterson emphasizes that parents play a vital role in the classroom, describing them as a child’s first teacher. She believes they can strongly influence a student’s success, behavior, and overall development, especially when they help foster a love of learning.
Asked how she knew it was time to retire, Peterson said it has been one of the most difficult decisions she has faced. “I love teaching so much,” she said, noting that the end of each school year will bring tears.
Her career is filled with success stories, both academic and personal. She has seen many students rise from struggling learners to top performers. Others have found success in different ways. She recalls one student who struggled academically but stayed connected with her over the years, eventually becoming her classroom aide in high school. That student went on to graduate from Utah State University and is now a kindergarten teacher.
Another memorable experience involved a student who joined her class midyear speaking only Spanish. With limited outside support, Peterson and her class worked together to help the student learn English. “My class loved her into the English language,” she said.
Peterson also remembers the lighter moments—like dressing up as a train engineer on the first day of school, only to have a student tell her the next day, “You looked a lot better yesterday,” or a student asking, “Did you comb your hair today,” when she tried a new style.
Looking ahead, Peterson believes her years in kindergarten will shape how she experiences retirement. She hopes to continue seeing the world with curiosity and appreciation: “The color of butterfly wings, the sounds of the lightning and the thunder, the way an ant crawls. I will be so thrilled for popsicles, astronauts lifting off in space, and the first snowfall of the season.”
She says she will miss the daily connections the most: hugs, handshakes, high-fives, and the moment a student finally understands something new. She will also miss the energy of the first day of school, the sound of recess, working with her colleagues, and leading Friendship Week. What she won’t miss are report cards, testing, long hours at the school, and reprimanding students.
As for her plans when the next school year begins, Peterson joked, “I’m running away—how can school start without me?”
Her advice to others is simple and heartfelt: “Love every moment, lead with love, care continually.”
When asked how she hopes to be remembered, Peterson said, “I just hope I am remembered. Everyone from small to tall is my friend. I put my whole heart into each day, no matter what the day brought.”
Submitted By Sherry Barrett
