Page 10—SUSQUEHANNA TIMES
“I am celebrating my
Silver Anniversary,’”’ beams
Miss Mary Jane Hoffer of
Mount Joy. ‘‘Twenty-five
years in teaching, that is.”
' Mary Jane, teacher of the
Week, lives in Mount Joy
and is the librarian at
Beahm Junior High. She has
spent all of her teaching
years at Donegal.
“I started by doing my
student teaching with Don-
egal,”” she tells us, ‘‘and
after I had my degree, I did
co-op work for a teacher who
took off several weeks. At
the end of the year I was
asked to join the staff
full-time.”
Miss Hoffer began teach-
ing English twenty-five
years ago. She taught
English for sixteen years,
and then on a year’s
sabbatical she attended
Millersville State College
and was certified in Library
Science. She has been
librarian for the past eight
years. ‘‘It is really hard to
believe that it is that long,”’
she says. ‘‘My, eight years.
Where does the time go?”’
Miss Hoffer still ties in
some of her English training
with her library duties. “‘I
will often ask the students to
write an essay about
themselves. This is the best
way I really know to get to
know a student. They are
able to be more honest than
+ with their. peers, and I am
Mary Jane Hoffer
Teacher of the Week
Mary Jane Hoffer
often surprised by what
certain students have to say.
Many are very deep think-
ers.
‘““We had a discussion
about depression and teen-
age suicide recently. I was
quite surpised by the
mature thoughts and re-
flections of these young
students.’’
Not only does Miss Hoffer
discuss various problems
faced by young teenagers,
but she also directs them in
finding answers in the
library. ‘““When a student
has a problem, I not only
discuss it with him, but I
direct him in the library,
also. He will then find
answers for himself.”
Miss Hoffer’s duties as
the librarian include teach-
ing the students to use the
tools of the library. They are
given instruction on the use
of the card -talogue, the
reader’s guide and the
Dewey decimal system.
‘““Many students are sur-
prised when they find out
how the library is organized.
They think that things are
just placed on shelves
randomly.”’
Miss Hoffer takes her role
as a teacher quite seriously.
“I know I worry too much,
but I am always concerned
that I may have failed with a
student. It is quite a
responsibility. We are mold-
ing lives. If a painter makes
a mistake, he paints over it,
or begins a new painting.
You cannot do that with a
human life.
‘Parents and educators
have a combined jurisdiction
over the lives of young
people as their providers,
protectors and priests. To-
gether, we are responsible
for their physical, mental,
moral, and spiritual growth
and development.
“It is necessary for us to
take inventory of the
life-styles we live and the
examples we set for our
youth at home and at school.
This challenge is always
demanding, sometimes
frustrating, often rewarding
as we press toward the mark
for the prize of these high
callings which teach the art
of living to those following
in our footsteps.”
Miss Hoffer tries to teach
her students by example
and by expressing her
opinion. ‘“‘I always tell
students ‘this is my opinion
and you are entitled to your
own.” 1 do think someone
has to tell students what is
right and wrong, however.
‘So many students do not
have the basic religious
background that taught one
the meaning of right and
wrong. They just do not
understand some of the
principles. I try to teach
them, if it is at all possible.
“One thing 1 stress, is
dealing with other human
beings justly and with
kindness. 1 just had an
experience with some stu-
dents regarding malicious
gossip. One student won-
dered how a little story
could get blown out of detail
all over the school. I told her
it was like taking a bag of
feathers to the top of a high
mountain and spreading
them with the wind, and
then trying to collect them
all and put them in the bag
again. It is a difficult task,
I told the girl, and gossip is
much the same way. It is far
better to keep the gossip to
youself, for then you will
never have to worry about
picking up, and correcting,
all of the wrong.”
Mary Jane is the daughter
of Ammon and Beulah
Hoffer. Her mother died
about ten years ago and her
father, who is 78, remarried
this past summer. He
married the former Mrs.
Nellie Ash of Inwood, West
Virginia. “In the deal 1
gained two step-sisters and
two step-brothers.”’
Mary Jane’s own brother
Ray, and his wife Ethel,
have three sons; Sam, Andy
and Steve.
“Although I am not
married, I am very much a
family person,” says Mary
Jane.
Mary Jane keeps busy
outside of her school duties
by singing in the Lutheran
Choir, participating in the
Mount Joy BPW and
collecting paintings of area
scenes. She is the past
president of the Lutheran
Women, and she was both
recording and correspond-
ing secretary for the BPW at
different times. Mary Jane
also likes to travel. She has
been to Puerto Rico, Iceland
(her favorite vacation spot),
Mexico, and this summer
she planes a trip to Europe.
She has also done much
traveling throughout the
United States.
Mary Jane places great
importance in her faith in
God. ‘‘Sometimes I am so
frustrated by people looking
for answers everywhere but
through the Lord,”’ she
says. ‘‘l just wish I could tell
them how simple life could
be if they would only look to
the Bible for answers.
‘I think this world needs
to turn toward spiritual
things if it is to survive. If
people would search after
that which is righteous they
would find such happiness
and meaning in daily living.
To me, the answer is with
things spiritual.”
Miss Hoffer also places a
good deal of emphasis on
her fellow employees. ‘I
want to express appreciation
for those retired teachers
and administrators who
influenced my early pro-
fessional experience. I also
want to express regard for
those teachers and admin-
istrators with whom [I’ve
been associated in more
recent years at Donegal.”’
Miss Hoffer’s true re-
wards, however, come from
the students themselves.
“When 1 see a former
student, one who may have
been bad in school, acting as
. a good citizen, I think that
“a ima un way.
maybe what I did has had
some influence on that
person. That makes it
worthwhile.”’
In May of 1979, Miss
Hoffer had seventh graders
write about their year in
school at Beahm Junior
High. Following is a com-
posite of the many thoughts
expressed by the students in
library classes as they
reflected upon their year in
the seventh grade. Miss
Hoffer prepared the com-
posite.
Before I became a seventh
grader, I used to dread
coming to this school. My
friends told me the teachers
were mean, but they aren’t.
I was surprised to find how
nice and easy most of them
are to get along with. The
ones I'll remember most are
the ones who reminded me
and scolded me and pushed
me to do things.
At first, 1 was shy and
afraid 1 wouldn’t make a
good impression on students
and teachers. I was nervous
about not being able to find
my way around the school,
but I began to feel
comfortable as I got used to
it. When I started to make
new friends, I started to like
school.
I noticed that I matured,
and the teachers had a lot to
do with it. I learned
self-respect and respect for
my friends and parents. I
learned good manners like
saying excuse me, thank
you, and please. I make sure
I look nice for school every
day. 1 feel more confident
about handling the prob-
lems of life. You have to be
confident in yourself and
trust others. The easy life is
over. Things at church and
Sunday School helped me in
school sometimes. I learned
to study and hand in
homework on time if I didn’t
want to get a zero. I
understand that being a
teacher is harder than it
seems.
More and more things are
becoming understandable to
me such as friendship and
taking on responsibility. I
made a lot of new friends. It
feels good to have good
friends. My mother said she
has noticed a change in my
attitude toward life. I've
changed in many ways. I
care about my friends and
family, fight less with my
brother, and try to be a good
influence on my nieces.
There was more to do at
school this year. I was in
girls’ hockey, girls’ basket-
ball, student council, and
cheerleading. Boys can play
soccer and basketball and
wrestle. Dances, movies,
and assemblies made school
fun. So did the volleyball
marathon. Special days like
green and white day and the
fifties day were neat. Now I
have more to do than go
home and watch television.
I'm learning how import-
ant school is, and that I need
a good education to get a
good job in the future. I
learned to use a ruler the
right way. A boy student I
know says he developed
better arm and leg muscles.
Another says he learned
YA 5s
January 23, 1980
shelves. I never knew there
is a wall between East and
West Berlin. I've learned to
draw better. I've learned
new words and read new
books.
I've found out what
people are like. I never
realized people act so mean
to each other. Some stu-
dents are immature and say
bad words I do not like to
hear about teachers. Some
are mean to teachers. Some
students get suspended for
smoking or bad behavior.
But some who had trouble
are beginning to get along
better even though it is the
end of the year. One girl
said she is starting to
change and do things on her
own instead of going along
with the crowd. She said,
“If 1 have a willing heart
and a positive attitude,
eighth grade will be a good
year for me.”’ A boy said he
started failing every subject
because he though school
was a bunch of laughs.
Another boy said, ‘‘Next
year I want to be more polite
so I won’t get in as much
trouble.’”’ A boy who wasn’t
in school much at (first
decided he ought to come to
school because he needed
the knowledge he missed
not being there. The best
time of the school day for
some students is the end of
the day, however.
One thing 1 didn’t like
when I got to this school was
the library in the cafeteria. I
didn’t like the pushing and
shoving in the crowded halls
between classes. I didn’t
like some of the teachers as
well as others, but I have
learned I should try my best
in all classes if I want-to be
something in life.
This year went fast. It
should have lasted longer.
I'll probably ride past school
over the summer on my
bicycle and stop and think
of my year in seventh grade.
Bucs lead
Chiques AAA
Basketball
league
Action in the Chiques
A.A.A. Basketball League
the past two weeks was as
follows:
On January 7, the Sixers
upset the Bullets 57 to 56
and the Bucs beat the Sonics
74 to 59.
January 10, the Bucs
defeated the Bullets 83 to 77
to move back into first place,
and the Sixers beat the
Sonics 96 to 54.
On January 14, the Bucs
beat the Sixers 79 to 59, and
the Bullets overcame the
Sonics 63 to 56.
On January 17, the Sonics
won their first game of the
season with an upset win
over the Bucs 72 to 68, and
the Sixers defeated the
Bullets 82 to 67.
The standings are:
Bucs 93
Bullets 8 4
Sixers 66
Sonics 111
»
y
4
3
:
3
¥
»
®
4
#
a a io A dah
a a a