Retiree Tributes

Madame Singer, Señora Singer, and Frau Singer all arrived at McDonogh School in September of 2000, at a time when we thought it would be impossible to find an experienced, part-time teacher who could teach all of our three foreign languages. During her years with us, she has taught 7th grade Spanish and 6th grade French, Spanish, and German in the Middle School, as well as 4th grade German in the Lower School.  Fifth grade, however, is her home.

Mrs. Singer loves fifth graders.  She thinks they are smart. She brags about how smart they are to other teachers.  “Just wait until you get this group,” she always says.  She also thinks they are funny and delightful.  She likes that about them.

Mrs. Singer has never had her own classroom at McDonogh. She travels from room to room carrying a big basket of props, pictures, flags, flashcards, and, of course, her Golden Sticker Box. Inside the box there is always a rich assortment of interesting stickers to choose from as prizes for a superior sentence or a well-posed question. Her students’ binders are festooned with the stickers that indicate their enthusiastic performance in class.

Mrs. Singer is willing to serve in any capacity and will substitute in any foreign language class at the drop of a hat.  Her calm demeanor, European manners, and language competency allow her to easily step into any emergency and take charge.  “Just put me where you need me” is her constant request.  She makes Mrs. Schmelz’s life much easier!

Any visitor notices immediately that Mrs. Singer’s classes are fully “student centered.”  Beginning on the very first day, her students are the ones who ask the questions and supply the corrections.  French, Spanish, or German is spoken throughout the class period, and by June, even the most reluctant of students is participating actively.

As Mrs. Singer goes on to spend more time with her five grandchildren, we will remember how fiercely her French students competed for the honor of bringing in the Bûche de Noël every year, the wide range of monuments her students built during their Paris, Berlin, and Madrid units, and her famous Sentence Dance. If you have never performed it, then maybe you just don’t know much about subjects and verbs.

Congratulations on your retirement, Mrs. Singer, and thank you.

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