Longtime preschool teacher retires after 25 years

Retired Fulton Preschool Association teacher Sue Beaty poses outside the school where she taught for 25 years.
Retired Fulton Preschool Association teacher Sue Beaty poses outside the school where she taught for 25 years.

After teaching at the Fulton Preschool Association since 1991, Sue Beaty retired in June. She leaves behind a legacy of generations of children who came to see learning as play.

Beaty grew up in St. Louis and knew she wanted to be a teacher by the time she was in seventh grade.

"I just always enjoyed school," she said. "I loved learning new things, and I liked the challenge of it."

She graduated from University of Missouri and married her husband, Lewis Beaty.

Lewis Beaty took a job in New York. She moved there with him and spent four years teaching third grade. The couple then moved to Clinton and started a family.

While raising their children, Brian, who now lives in Blue Springs; Lisa, now Lisa Wampler, living in Springfield; and Matthew, now in Clarksville, Tennessee; Sue Beaty did volunteer work.

The family moved to Fulton in 1983, and Beaty met Barbara Wilson, then the administrator of the Fulton Preschool Association. Beaty's young children attended the preschool.

The preschool was founded in 1938 as a parent cooperative, a model it's kept to this day. This means the parents of students are expected to get involved in the school. Beaty joined the board of directors and in 1991 began teaching the 4-year-olds. Later she held the position of lead teacher, which involves administrative duties alongside teaching.

Beaty said Wilson was an inspiration to her.

"She loved what she was doing," she said. "Our styles weren't necessarily the same, but we loved what we were doing and approached it with energy."

Beaty delighted in the kids.

"They'll tell you the way it is," she said. "(One little girl) brought in a picture for show and tell of her daddy on a motorcycle. I asked, 'Is that your daddy on a motorcycle?' 'No, it's a Harley.'"

Jonna Neterer, the preschool's current administrator, met Beaty about four years ago. She said Beaty has a way with kids.

"The first time I saw her teach (was when) my son went in for PEP - the summer program," Neterer said. "When she was teaching, I kinda felt myself engaged. She was animated with the kids. She knows how to draw their attention without being overwhelming."

Sandy McDaniel, who has known Beaty since they were in a sorority together and has been a teacher at the preschool since 2003, agreed.

"She was always very calm, and she's just kind of a natural teacher," McDaniel said, adding she also sees Beaty as a mentor.

The preschool's motto is "Learning through Play," and according to Neterer, Beaty helped kids develop a love of learning.

"I always try to instill in them an attitude of 'I can do this, I can learn this,'" Beaty said.

Her students went on to kindergarten ready to learn. Many later brought their own children to the preschool.

Over 25 years, both society and education in the United States have changed quite a bit.

Beaty said she feels fortunate to have worked at a private school. She said being in charge as a lead teacher allowed her to follow her heart.

"I talk to friends who are teaching (at public schools), and they say, 'We spend so much time on this other stuff that we have to do,'" she said. "They don't have time to teach the basics."

And the basics, like social skills, are more important than ever today.

According to Beaty, kids haven't really changed - "Kids are still just little kids" - but society and families have.

In her later years, Beaty had to spend time working with the kids on holding eye contact and talking in full sentences. She thinks it's because of all the distractions caused by electronic devices. Thanks to cellphones, many times a person isn't even looking at their conversational partner when talking.

"Some parents don't even get down on their knees to look at the kids anymore," she said. "You see so much of a child's soul when you're looking into their eyes."

Beaty's community invovement extends far beyond just the FPA. According to McDaniel, she used to do Meals on Wheels and currently helps in the soup kitchen and is active in the ladies' group at St. Peter's Catholic Church. Beaty mentioned she plans on doing further volunteer work now that she's retired.

How else will she be occupying her days?

"I have a big thing on my bucket list," she said. "I have a closet full of photo albums that I'd like to digitize."

She also looks forward to visiting her children and her newest grandchild, born Sept. 11. Her hobbies include knitting - she's a member of a knitting group that meets at the library - crocheting, sewing, and reading. She recommends her latest read, "Alone on the Ice," a nonfiction account of an explorer stranded in Antarctica.

She's also helping Neterer transition into the role of administrator. Neterer said she has been generous with her time and talents.

"Sue is not the type of person to pat herself on the back or be prideful," Neterer said. "I just wanted to take the time to thank her for what she's done."