ATTICA, Ind. — When the sixth graders at Attica Elementary School were asked to describe their teacher, Bonnie Wolf, their excitement and bubbly voices revealed a student-teacher relationship based on love, respect and a shared sense of humor.

“She’s like a mother to all of us,” said one girl.

“She says she’s mean but she’s really nice. And she loves to sing,” said another.

Wolf countered that she’s a “terrible” singer but said she still picks up the microphone every time someone in her class has a birthday, to make the kids feel special and to create a fun learning environment.

“What I’ve used first of all is a sense of humor and being a little bit silly. And I believe in total, upfront honesty,” Wolf said about her teaching style. “I also set rules and boundaries, and the kids know they can’t get away with murder.”

Wolf is retiring on her doctor’s recommendation after 38 years at the school, a decision she described as “devastating” and “extremely emotional.” She’s had asthma since childhood and has undergone repeated eye surgeries, finally losing the vision on her left eye four years ago. She made the decision to quit teaching after being hospitalized with pneumonia in January, and after learning from her doctor that her health problems would likely continue to keep her away from the school, possibly for weeks at a time.

“I can’t do that to the kids. It’s not fair do them,” she said, visibly emotional.

Despite her health problems, Wolf is a person who always considers the glass as half-full.

“I learned growing up that you get out of life what you put into it,” she said. “The only thing I ever wanted to do was to be a teacher. This is a passion, not a job, and working as a teacher has been a dream come true. It’s who I am and I believe that’s why God put me on Earth. I was hoping to teach for a few more years but it wasn’t meant to be.”

Rick Morgan, also a sixth-grade teacher at Attica and long-time friend of Wolf’s, testified to her dedication to the profession.

“She still has the fire in her to teach,” he said. “She really cares for the kids and wants them to succeed. It’s been a joy to work with her.”

Morgan chuckled as he recalled some of Wolf’s antics in the classroom.

“One of her first years here, she let the students paddle her on her birthday,” he said. “Her personality and sense of humor are contagious.”

Wolf has already promised Morgan and her other colleagues, whom she calls her “non-biological family,” she’ll bring in a steady supply of doughnuts and other treats to the teachers’ lounge after retiring. She also plans to spend more time with her husband, R.J., and their two daughters and two granddaughters, as well as travel, go to ball games and spend time at the library.

Although Wolf is retiring from her full-time teaching job, she’s hoping the administration will let her come back on a part-time basis to work one-on-one with kids who need a little extra help.

“I just don’t know if I could stand not being around kids,” she said. “Every one of the kids that walk through that door is one of my kids.”



BONNIE WOLF

Position: Sixth-grade teacher at Attica Elementary School.

Education: Twin Lakes High School, Monticello, 1967; bachelor of arts degree in elementary education, Indiana State University, 1971; master of arts degree in elementary education, ISU, 1975.

Experience: Sixth-grade teacher, Attica Elementary School, 1971-2009.