Pioneer Harbor School teacher to retire

Seaford Harbor Elementary School teacher Sue Ward speaks of her profession with the same exuberance and passion she did when she first became a teacher 41 years ago. “It’s all I ever wanted to do,” said the daughter of former Seaford first-grade teacher Lorraine White. “My mother would share a lot with me — she would show me her lesson plans — it was something I was always around.”

Now, after working her entire career in the district, she is retiring with a legacy that is as unique as it is inspirational.

While Ward has taught various grades and abilities at both the Harbor and the Manor schools, she is best known for building the multi-age classroom program from the ground up and driving the program’s success for the past 21 years. Other districts have tried it, but the Harbor’s is the only one in the area that has been sustainable.

The concept works like this: Of three classrooms, there are 24 students in each class: eight first graders, eight second graders and eight third graders. They are together for homeroom at the start of the day, story times before lunch, recess, health, science and social studies. After homeroom, students move to one of the three classrooms to join their own grade level for reading and after they convene for story time, they again move to one of three classrooms to learn math with their grade level. Science and social studies take place in the afternoon and are differentiated according to academic level.

Modest and humble, Ward said much of the success of the program is attributed to the collaboration of the three teachers “who are all passionate about what they do,” the integration of the grade levels for certain activities that have built skills such as working with a team; the idea of movement among classes, which helps keep students focused and engaged, and the close involvement of the parents, some of whom have said, “we felt like we were part of the class.”

“When I started the multi-age classes, I felt like I was coming home,” she said. She spent many long days over the years molding and perfecting the model. To this day, she comes to work at 6:30 a.m., although school begins at 9 a.m., and has stayed as late into the evening when she felt she needed to. Because of its overwhelming popularity, spots in the program are filled by lottery. (Traditional first, second and third-grade classes are also taught at the school as parents can choose between the two learning styles.)

Her proudest moments, she said, could be described in little snippets, such as when she said to a little boy named Andrew, who happened to be a bit of a handful, “Andrew, it’s a good thing I love you,” and he said, “You love everybody.”

“What a great thing it was for him to acknowledge that,” she said. “It’s times like that that make you proud.”

The fact that she’s had many families, including that of Principal Donna DeLucia-Troisi’s, choose the multi-age classroom model for their children also speaks volumes to Ward’s talent as a teacher and the success of the program.

“I met Sue as an inexperienced parent of a first grader new to the Seaford Harbor School back in September 1995 and was immediately impressed by her warmth and professionalism,” DeLucia-Troisi said. “Since I joined Seaford Schools as assistant principal in May of 2000, it has been inspiring to witness a teacher who is a constant learner, a collaborative team player, dedicated, caring, respectful, kind, and a person who rarely takes a day off. She has impacted the lives of over a thousand students, hundreds of families and hundreds of educators,”

In recognition of her outstanding teaching skills, Ward was named Teacher of the Year by the district in the 1980s, was an Honorary Patriot Award winner three years ago and was the recipient of the coveted Viking Helmet, a tradition started five years ago by Superintendent Brian Conboy.

With her departure the multi-age program will change slightly, catering to first and second graders next year because of curriculum changes associated with the Common Core Learning Standards that align third grade more with fourth grade. As she contemplates her last days, what she’ll miss the most, she says, are her students, the comradery with colleagues and the parents, who “have been great.” She plans to spend her new-found time enjoying activities such as kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding and exploring nature. She also intends to volunteer for causes that are dear to her, such as wildlife conservation.

When asked what people don’t know about her, Ward paused and said, I’m really an open book. Her multi-age colleague and longtime friend, Nancy Kempner, spoke about Ward’s charitable efforts, such as adopting an elephant family through the Elephant Listening Project or goats for families through Heifer International.

“She’s the most caring and charitable person,” Kempner said. “She’s the best teacher ever, ever, ever.”