Angie Snow, a fourth-grade teacher at Roosevelt Elementary School, will be retiring after almost 40 years of instruction, long enough that some of her students are now old enough to be her peers.
"My husband has been retired for 20 years," Snow said. "It is time for me to spend some quality time with him."
Snow never had doubts about wanting to be a teacher and began at Roosevelt after graduating from college in 1968.
"Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to be a teacher," she said.
Snow feels that teaching has gotten more enjoyable with time as she has been able to gain insight from her experience. Every year she believes she improves as a professional because of the passion she has for teaching.
"It's a blessing to be a teacher, but you have to have passion for it," she said. "Being around young kids is really special. They give so much of themselves and they rejuvenate you as a person."
Snow has nothing but praise for the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District due to the constant improvements in the quality of instruction, quality of teachers and the supportive community.
"We have no wants," she said. "All of our wishes are always granted. It is a utopia to be working for this school district."
Snow has a blank slate going into retirement and is looking forward to spending time with her husband and three grown children. She plans on doing a lot of reading in addition to going on road trips with her husband. She may also come back to volunteer at Roosevelt.
For those aspiring to be a teacher, Snow recommends that it should be treated seriously due to the importance of helping children develop.
"It's really not a job, it's a profession," she said. "I love my peers that I work with and I always knew I picked the right profession because I like the people that I work with."
Photo credit: Sam Catanzaro
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