蘑菇短视频

Heather Payne 鈥�98 looks back at her 27-year-long career in education quite fondly.

The 蘑菇短视频 alumna spent every single one of them in Clay County, and taught thousands of students before retiring this past school year.

It鈥檚 the end of an era for Payne and her family, with five generations of educators who all taught in Clay County and four generations who earned their education at 蘑菇短视频. Payne said she will be the last in this line of educators, but her family鈥檚 dedication to education runs deep.of educators, but her family鈥檚 dedication to education runs deep.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just kind of what we do. We go to Western and we鈥檙e teachers,鈥� Payne said. 鈥淚 tried really hard to fight that, but it didn鈥檛 work out. I鈥檝e always said, 鈥業 guess it鈥檚 just in my DNA. It鈥檚 what I was meant to be.鈥欌��

Roots of a teaching tradition

The learning lineage starts with Green Henderson 鈥淕.H.鈥� Haigler, Payne鈥檚 great-great-grandfather. Haigler played a pivotal role in the development of education in Clay County in the late 1890s and early 20th century.

Haigler was involved in teaching and advising positions from when the school was named Hicksville Academy to Hayesville Academy to Hayesville Male and Female College to Hayesville Graded School and finally to Hayesville High School in 1909.

He became the third superintendent of the schools and was also a school board member, but most importantly, he was a husband to Molly Pass Haigler and a father to nine children, five of whom were girls.

鈥淎head of their time, and most definitely against the grain of the early 1900s mountain culture, they encouraged education and independence for their daughters,鈥� Payne said. 鈥淭hese girls were blessed with the opportunity to have choices for their future.鈥�

Two of G.H.鈥檚 daughters, Sue Carlton Haigler 鈥�29 and Mary Louise Haigler 鈥�38, went on to become educators 鈥� and the first two Catamounts of the family.

Sue attended Cullowhee State Normal School before it was renamed Western Carolina Teachers College in 1929 when Mary attended. Payne is old enough to remember her great-great aunts and the stories they would tell.

Some were about having to come in early to put wood in the furnace to keep the classroom warm. Others were about getting the most out of their retirement.

鈥淲e鈥檇 go visit them every weekend, and we鈥檇 sit and talk with Aunt Sue and Aunt Louise, and they would always get a kick and laugh about how they had really worked over the state鈥檚 retirement system because they lived to be into their hundreds,鈥� Payne said. 鈥淏oth of them were talking about how they lost money on us, and they just laughed.鈥�

Their niece and Payne鈥檚 grandmother, Josephine Weaver Thurman, attended 蘑菇短视频 in the 1930s, taught English in Clay County for over 30 years and wasn鈥檛 afraid to break up the status quo.

鈥淪he was a ringleader championing for female teachers to be able to wear slacks to work,鈥� Payne said. 鈥淚 have had many people tell me what a wonderful teacher she was. I often hear how she made Shakespeare come alive.鈥�

鈥淪he controlled a classroom like no other and had the look that would put students, and her grandchildren, in their place.鈥�

Josephine, affectionately known as 鈥淢ama Jo,鈥� raised two future teachers: Payne鈥檚 uncle, Bill Thurman 鈥�71, and her mom, Marcia Thurman Powell 鈥�71. They both also married 蘑菇短视频-taught educators, Bill marrying Sharon Wimpey Thurman 鈥�72 and Marcia wed Miki Powell 鈥�64.

Bill taught social studies and coached in Clay County, and Sharon taught elementary school and became associate superintendent for Clay County Schools before the couple moved to Georgia where Sharon continued her career in school administration.

Payne鈥檚 parents both taught in Clay County, with Marcia teaching English language arts at the elementary and middle school levels and Miki teaching middle school social studies.

Miki鈥檚 brother, Terrence Powell 鈥�77, spent his career in education as the dean of continuing education at a community college, and Terrence鈥檚 wife, Marilee Martin Powell 鈥�70, taught English at Hayesville High School.

Following a familiar path

Payne went through a few different majors in her time at 蘑菇短视频, but nothing seemed to pan out. She couldn鈥檛 find her passion 鈥� until Miki had a heart-to-heart with her.

鈥淢y dad would just sit me down and say, 鈥榊ou need to find something that will make a difference, and you got to find something that, even if you鈥檙e not passionate about that, you know that you鈥檙e giving back, and that will make it fulfilling,鈥欌�� Payne remembered.

Payne landed on education. Go figure.

鈥淚 tried really hard to fight that, but it didn鈥檛 work out,鈥� Payne said.

Marilee didn鈥檛 choose education at first either when she came to 蘑菇短视频. She was a psychology major, but a conflicting dynamic between she and her adviser caused her to study something else temporarily 鈥� or so she thought.

鈥淎t that point, you could not change advisers, so I changed my major. I thought, I鈥檒l do this for one quarter, and then I鈥檒l switch back and get a different adviser, but I took some higher-level English courses, and I was hooked,鈥� Marilee said.

Marilee stuck with English and earned her teaching certificate to have a better chance at having some kind of job after college, but her student teaching experience convinced her to spend her career in the classroom.

To this family, being a teacher is everything..

Typically, student teachers observe their teacher for two weeks, pick up a class and so forth, but Marilee was thrown into the thick of it on her first day at Swain County High School.

鈥淪he said, 鈥楾he books, they鈥檙e all yours next Monday,鈥欌�� Marilee said. 鈥淪o she just turned it over to me, and it was an absolutely wonderful experience.鈥�

Sharon also had her mind set on studying psychology when she came to 蘑菇短视频, but a professor convinced her to switch to education.

鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 crazy about teaching, but once I started, I loved it,鈥� she said.

But before that, Sharon wasn鈥檛 even fully convinced whether she鈥檇 go to 蘑菇短视频. A lot of people in her senior class weren鈥檛 interested in staying close to home, including her. She started her undergrad at Young Harris College in Georgia before transferring to Georgia State University.

But as fate would have it, she became a Catamount.

鈥淏ill and I got married, and we decided that we had to get an education and that the very best place to get it would be Western,鈥� she said.

From the classroom to the community

Between all the members of this studious family, they鈥檝e combined to teach hundreds of years in the classroom. Their impact on Clay County is immeasurable, and it wasn鈥檛 just the lessons they taught in class that influenced their students; it was their care, too.

Sometimes it鈥檇 be small things, like Marcia singing the happy birthday song opera style or Miki, a big outdoors person, making students knives to celebrate their graduation. The family has left many footprints in Clay County, with some inspired to follow.

Marilee alone has seen several of her students pursue education. has seen several of her students pursue education.

鈥淭hat was wonderful. We would spend hours talking about what I did in the classroom and what they were doing in the classroom. I think they far surpassed me in what I did,鈥� Marilee said.

鈥淛ust to see the enthusiasm that they had for teaching, a couple of them are still teaching, that鈥檚 been very inspirational for me.鈥�

It鈥檚 tough to deny that this family has had a huge impact on the county 鈥� but the impact 蘑菇短视频 has had on them, and plenty of other teachers across western North Carolina is great, too. 蘑菇短视频 started as a teachers鈥� college, and it remained that way for the first 64 years of its existence.

For this family, it鈥檚 been the teachers鈥� college.

鈥淚t鈥檚 changed lives, and numerous, numerous kids that I taught have gone to Western,鈥� Marilee said. 鈥淪everal of them are back in this area teaching. I thought that the education I got there was wonderful.

鈥淲estern, again, absolutely changed my life. It gave me confidence. I graduated from high school with not a lot of confidence, but it totally changed my life.鈥�

As teachers who have been in education for decades, Payne, Sharon and Marilee have seen the university鈥檚 influence in western North Carolina classrooms.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 even know that there鈥檚 words for it,鈥� Payne said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 even know that you could measure it, because even if you just think about my family, we鈥檙e not totally unique. We are because of the five generations, but there鈥檚 lots of three and four-generation teacher (families).

鈥淚t鈥檚 the investment that Western has made, again, I think, is priceless with what they have turned out with their education students who come back and give back to the community鈥� It鈥檚 home. It鈥檚 where you鈥檙e supposed to be.

鈥淚 think Western, if you鈥檙e going to be a teacher, is your home. That鈥檚 where you need to be.鈥�

More than a profession

As Payne ends her family鈥檚 legacy in education, she carries a sense of grief.

Over a century of family history ends with her, but she and her family鈥檚 impact doesn鈥檛 stop. The love, lessons and memories they gave their students will continue to radiate throughout Clay County for years to come.

Her family鈥檚 adoration for the profession continues to burn bright, even past retirement.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a very important part of my life and a very fulfilling part of my life,鈥� Marilee said. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 think of anything that I would have done that I would have enjoyed any more. I don鈥檛 think a lot of people can actually say that when they鈥檝e spent 30 years in a particular occupation.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 really think of it that much as a job. To me, it was fun. I just loved it.鈥�

They have a great deal of affection for the students they taught, too.

鈥淚 love the fact that I met a vast amount of people with different ideas, with different needs, with different desires to what education could do for them,鈥� Sharon said. 鈥淚t was just very meaningful to see the interest that students showed in the learning.

鈥淚t was interesting to see those who didn鈥檛 want to learn, and it was a challenge to try to bring that learning to them. But that, again, was a good experience.鈥�

Being a teacher is a little bit of everything. It鈥檚 teaching a classroom full of students day in and day out. It鈥檚 spending countless late-night hours on lesson plans. It鈥檚 being a student鈥檚 mentor, counselor and educator.

But to this family, being a teacher is everything.

鈥淭hey always try to say your occupation doesn鈥檛 define you, but I think when you鈥檙e a teacher, it does,鈥� Payne said. 鈥淚 think that when you鈥檙e a teacher, it鈥檚 more than just a teacher. I think that you鈥檙e a psychologist, their friend, and you鈥檙e a disciplinarian. You鈥檙e one that they come to when they get shunned at lunch.

鈥淲e are educators, but we are your encouragement, your cheerleader. Some days, your therapist. Some days, you give them tough love. This kind of defines who we are.