ALLENTOWN: Retiring teachers reflect on decades of memories

By Rachel Lavery, Special Writer
   ALLENTOWN — “How do you measure a year?” asked Jonathan Larson in his musical “Rent.” How do you measure 28, 30 or 38 years? How about 41?
   Barbara Lehman, Mark Megill, Warren Gessmann and Joan Kovacs measure their years teaching in the Upper Freehold Regional School District with many fond memories as all four prepare to retire at the end of this school year after a collective total of 137 years of service.
   All four teachers spoke of the students as the element of teaching they would miss the most in their retirements. They were in agreement that they would not miss having to wake up between 4:30 and 5 a.m. for school.
   Joan Kovacs
   Ms. Kovacs, currently a science teacher at Stone Bridge Middle School and herself a graduate of Allentown schools, began her four decades in the classroom at Upper Freehold Regional Elementary School in 1971. She spoke highly of her students particularly the group she taught in the 1998-1999 school year.
   ”They were responsible, enthusiastic learners, who were kind, thoughtful, and helpful to their teachers and classmates,” she said. “While the last day of school usually brings broad grins to the faces of students and staff alike, I found myself crying as I said my goodbyes. I would have gladly spent another year with that group of kids, but it was their time to move on and I hope they continued to brighten the lives of everyone they met.”
   Ms. Kovacs also counts her co-workers as a highlight of her long career.
   ”I have had the good fortune to work with many talented, caring staff members over the years and it is their companionship that I will miss most,” she said.
   After 41 years in a profession that she is very proud of, she said she would not miss the negative commentary about teachers and teaching that has moved to the political forefront in recent years. She is looking forward to completing tasks she never had time for including sorting baby pictures into albums for her now adult children, traveling and getting to know her new grandson.
   Warren Gessmann
   Mr. Gessmann, a social studies teacher for 38 years at Allentown High School and president of the teachers union, began his career in 1974. Although he will not miss the 25-minute lunch period, Mr. Gessman, who also teaches AP macroeconomics, said it will be hard to bid farewell to his students.
   ”I will always miss the kids and the stimulating discussions we had,” he said.
   Mr. Gessmann recounted a particularly memorable occurrence in vivid detail from the teachers’ strike in October 1979. He was arrested for illegal picketing along with 12 other teachers. Allentown’s lone police officer at the time had to borrow a school bus to transport the teachers to jail.
   ”He took us to ‘jail,’ the basement of Town Hall, in the school bus, but they only had one pair of handcuffs, so we couldn’t all be restrained,” Mr. Gessmann said. “After he processed us, took our names, addresses and phone numbers, he realized he left the other 150 strikers at the school, but since he left his patrol car there he had to walk back to the school to check on the others.
   ”After he was gone for an hour, we got bored and hungry so we walked to the Candy Kitchen, which used to be on Main Street, for food and newspapers,” Mr. Gessmann said. “Finally, he returned to the ‘jail’ and then got mad at us because we were under arrest and shouldn’t have left. Our lawyer eventually showed up and we were all released. One of the highlights of my career!”
   Mr. Gessman’s plans for his retirement include traveling with his wife and spending time at the beach with his five grandchildren.
   Mark Megill
   Mr. Megill, the vocal music teacher at AHS for the past 30 years, noted that students have “a wonderful sense of fun and excitement that usually gets lost in adults.”
   He remembered most fondly students who started out shy and insecure but grew in their confidence over time. “They made it worthwhile teaching,” he said.
   After the passing of his mother this year, Mr. Megill’s choir learned and recorded a song and sent it to him to show that he was in their thoughts.
   ”Those memories really stay with me,” he said.
   Mr. Megill heads into retirement on a very high note as the school’s a cappella group Half and Half, under his direction, recently won the MSG Varsity Talent Show contest, a televised competition in which viewers selected the winners from among eight schools in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
   His plans for the future include returning to the stage, something he wasn’t able to do with a 5 a.m. wake-up call for school. He will appear in “Damn Yankees” at Plays in the Park in Edison during the summer and “Gypsy” in Manasquan in fall. He is looking forward to spending time with his son, grandson and family in Seattle, playing golf, fishing, swimming and doing some writing.
   ”I look forward to the new adventures with great excitement,” he said.
   Barbara Lehman
   Ms. Lehman, a French teacher at AHS for 28 years and moderator of the French Exchange Program and the Travel Club, recalls seeing students’ eye glisten with tears at their first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower, the Parthenon or the Roman Colosseum.
   ”Seeing them use the language and converse, making new friends and exploring different cultures has been very gratifying,” she said. She recalled her students as “fantastic, warm, kind, generous and compassionate.”
   One of her funniest memories was seeing students try Vegemite, a dark brown salty food paste, while traveling in Australia. The students were curious because of the reference to a Vegemite sandwich in the Men at Work song “Down Under.” She recalled the look on their faces as they discovered the taste as “priceless.”
   In her retirement, Ms. Lehman will continue to do the Travel Club in Allentown as well as travel on her own. She looks forward to spending time with her children and grandchildren, particularly her first Easter Sunday in 28 years with her kids, having always been away with students over the Easter break.
   As their teaching careers come to a close, the contributions of these teachers can be measured by the many students whose lives they touched.