NEW ULM - The only thing Linda Hansen ever wanted - besides being a kindergarten teacher - was to be a mom - and she accomplished both.
Hansen, who has taught 37 years of kindergarten in District 88 schools, is retiring at the end of this school year.
Thirty-seven years is a long time; during that timespan, many of Hansen's colleagues have changed grade-level assignments.
Some even said, "you gotta get out of kindergarten - it's so much work."
With her preK though grade six teaching license, Hansen did not lack the opportunity; she just lacked the desire, to do so.
It may be work, she says, but it is a worthwhile trade-off.
"I was satisfied here - it was meant to be."
The parallels between teaching kindergarten and motherhood are easy to see; the transition between the two roles is natural.
"It does go together, doesn't it," says Hansen.
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Born and raised on a farm in Iowa, the oldest sibling and the only girl in her family, Hansen followed her best high-school friend's steps into teaching.
She graduated from Mankato State University; and has, over the years, taken a variety of graduate classes of interest and relevance.
Hansen began her teaching career in Hanska, in a half-time position.
The fact the position was half-time worked out very well for her, she says, providing a gradual transition into the workforce.
Hansen then moved on to teach full-time, in the half-day kindergarten program then housed at Washington Elementary School.
When District 88 started its all-day, every-day program some dozen years ago, Hansen moved with the program, to its site at Jefferson Elementary School.
Hansen likes the honesty and innocence of young children.
School is still novel to them, and they show such an enthusiasm for it, says Hansen.
"They keep you so alive," she says. "There is never a dull moment, no day is the same. They truly keep you young."
"The 37 years seem like 10."
The job rarely ends with the school day.
Hansen often puts in eight hours of work on weekends, and three or four hours at night.
The trade-off is worth it, she says.
Five-year-olds, Hansen says, are not going to wait for you to cut paper, or to hunt up the book they want you to read.
"If you are organized and prepared, you are going to have a good day.
"If you are having a good day, they are having a good day," says Hansen.
Once, Hansen harbored the illusion that, once her own children are out of school - and done with a whirlwind of after-school activities - she would spend more time at home - cook a "real" meal, for example.
"Instead, I just ended up spending more time here," she says.
"After school is the only time you have to talk to co-workers, compare notes..."
Hansen considers it fortunate to have worked in three different sites in the district.
In each building, she says, you get influenced by the people around you, and you gain a different perspective.
In addition, "I've had really good paras, very helpful and efficient," says Hansen.
"I've also had principals who supported me."
But Hansen primarily took her cues from the kids.
"You learn to respond to the kids' needs," says Hansen.
These needs have changed over time, necessitating adjustments in teaching.
In a certain sense, notes Hansen, the children are "more sophisticated" than their peers 37 years ago.
They've experienced more of the world, though trips and vacations; they have access to electronics.
What also has changed, perhaps inevitably but sadly, is parental involvement.
It is a different world, says Hansen. Most families need two incomes - it is not that they do not care to be involved, but it is just so much harder.
Among other things, Hansen has tried to keep herself up-to-date - and motivated - by taking classes and workshops.
Sometimes friends would think her "crazy" for bringing her books on vacation.
"But that was my time to read," says Hansen.
Even on the verge of retirement, she enthusiastically remembers the knowledge acquired through such efforts - how much better she liked her room, once she had learned a method to set it up and organize spaces around the work centers; how she learned a specific method of modeling writing that helped the kids write so much better; or how she learned about brain research and its applications...
She found it "refreshing" to learn from new co-workers as well - to get a new idea that would be applicable to her own classroom.
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In retirement, Hansen looks forward to substituting for colleagues, taking craft classes, exploring novel cooking styles, "going south" for periods of time when her husband retires...
She is anticipating having more time with her children and grandchildren - and baby-sitting when needed.
