Upon Retirement: Professor Campbell Reflects on 25 Years of Teaching Teachers
Several longtime professors retired from Lewis & Clark this year. Q&As with each retiree will be published in The Source throughout the summer. Check out the employee comings and goings archive for a full list of those who joined our community recently and those who said a fond farewell.
In the following Q&A, Campbell looks back on the challenges and rewards of teaching, and shares her future plans:
What was your path to Lewis & Clark?
I attended Lewis & Clark undergraduate, majoring in English and I also earned a secondary teaching certificate. I then taught junior high English for three years. I began working on a master’s degree at Lewis & Clark while I was teaching. I took a class in school law and was inspired to apply to law school. I attended Willamette University College of Law. After practicing law for a few years, I realized that if I wanted to support adolescents, I needed to be in the classroom. I went back to teaching at Estacada High School. I completed my master’s degree along with an educational administration program at the graduate school. I was honored to serve as the founding principal of Riverdale High School. After leaving Riverdale, I was recruited by Teacher Education to fill in for a professor on sabbatical. I loved the opportunity to work with beginning teacher candidates and was fortunate to be able to continue teaching in Teacher Education while earning a doctorate in education at Portland State University.
What was your favorite course(s) to teach?
I enjoyed all the courses I taught, including ELA methods classes and legal Issues, which allowed me to draw on my law school education.
What did you enjoy most about your work?
I most enjoyed supporting teacher candidates in their classroom practicum work. I served as a supervisor and also met one-on-one with candidates about their teaching.
What changed the most during your time at Lewis & Clark? What remained constant?
The challenges of teaching have changed the most. Teaching has always been challenging, but the students our teacher candidates work with are dealing with increased trauma and mental health issues, particularly since the pandemic. And society’s view of teachers has also changed. Teachers are not seen as professionals.
What has remained constant is that teachers’ relationships and work with students are the best part of their job. I just completed a survey of our secondary MAT graduates, from 2018-2022, and the responses showed “working with students” was the best part of their work.
What’s something people might not know about you?
I was a competitive swimmer from the time I was five until I graduated high school. I have enjoyed swimming in the Lewis & Clark pool. A few years ago I took a class in deep water running so I look forward to continued time swimming and “running” in the pool during my retirement.
What is your favorite place on campus?
There are so many beautiful places on campus. But my favorite place is my office on the fourth floor of Rogers Hall on the graduate campus. When my daughter was little, she called my office the “treehouse.” In addition to enjoying the view from my office windows, I have filled my office shelves with books and favorite items. The candidates with whom I have worked would often tell me, “your office is so warm and welcoming.” I would offer them a cup of tea or coffee as they sat in the comfortable armchairs and shared their stories.
What are you most proud of?
I am most proud of the teacher candidates with whom I have worked. I am heartened by the passion and commitment they bring to their secondary classrooms. I try to stay in touch with candidates. I just received an email from a candidate who graduated ten years ago. She was checking in to update me about her work as an English teacher.
What’s next for you?
I have several writing projects I have started but not completed. One is a mystery novel I have been working on for years. I am also planning to learn how to play pickleball. We have a court near our house. And I am talking with my Teacher Ed colleagues about how we can support the secondary graduates I surveyed. We are considering hosting some gatherings to invite graduates back to campus.
