Retiring St. Paul’s teacher Jean Schroeder was surprised with a parade of colleagues and students Tuesday. She taught for 40 years.

NEW ULM — A line of cars circled the block of 600 N. Franklin Tuesday to celebrate St. Paul’s teacher Jean Schroeder who is retiring after 40 years of teaching.

Schroeder’s last day as a teacher is this Friday. Since the schools are closed to the public, friends, family, staff and students decided to honor Schroeder with a surprise parade.

Schroeder spent all 40 years of her career at St. Paul’s and served as a second grade teacher most of the time. The last few years she was a first and second grade teacher.

“I loved the children and their different personalities, their smiles and their hugs,” Schroeder said. “I loved story time and teaching God’s word. That was my favorite part.”

The 2020 school year was an unusual way to end her teaching career. Schroeder said when the schools closed, she found herself making math video for the first time and creating lesson plans for parents, but had plenty of support.

Schroeder was delighted with the parade. She said it was a nice thing to do and it was not over the top, which she appreciated. Schroeder also received KEYC’s Golden Apple Award last week.

In retirement, Schroeder plans to travel more. Her parents live in Michigan and she would like to see them more often. She also plans to spend more time with her children and grandchildren.