Vermont Governor Shumlin Thanks Claire

VPR’s Susan Keese’s story on Claire’s influence as a teacher: Shumlin Cites Inspiration By Childhood Teacher

“Governor Peter Shumlin began and ended his inaugural address by recalling a teacher who saw past his childhood dyslexia and taught him to read. That teacher, the late Claire Oglesby, influenced countless southern Vermont children and families. She helped start the Grammar School in Putney and then spent 45 years teaching first and second grade in the little two-room school in Westminster West.

Peter Shumlin’s parents actually had a hand in recruiting Oglesby and her husband, Mac, to Putney from teaching jobs in New York City.”

Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin spoke of Claire in is inaugural address on January 6, 2011.

“That I stand before you today as Vermont’s 81st Governor was improbable, and no one can attest to that better than my mom and dad, who are here today. My mom reminded me again on election night that it often seemed more likely in my grade school years that I would struggle to find a job than to run for office. As a kid who learned differently, I remember well in second grade being called into the principal’s office with my parents to have them be told what I already knew, but hoped beyond hope that they would never find out: that with all the good efforts of my teachers they could not teach me how to read; that the prospects of my being a successful student and going onto college were unlikely, but they would do the best they could. That was not a great day.

I had a single teacher who believed in me. Her name was Claire Ogelsby; she later became Vermont’s teacher of the year. Her husband Mac and daughter Molly are here today. Claire would be here too had she not lost her battle with cancer a year and a half ago. After her long day at school, Claire loaded me in her Willy’s Jeep and took me to her log cabin deep in the woods on Windmill Hill Road in Westminster West. In the warm weather we sat on her lawn; in the cold weather we huddled around the wood stove; and slowly and creatively she taught me how to read. What I remember best about Claire was no matter how difficult the challenge; no matter how innovative she had to be or how hard she had to work, she never gave up on me and therefore neither did I.”

….

“Our obstacles are many, and our challenges are daunting. The change we are proposing this afternoon is transformative and systemic. It will not happen quickly or easily. Yet as I stand here today to begin a new era of government in Vermont, I remember Claire Oglesby and the many Vermonters who embody her belief that we can overcome adversity with courage and creativity.”

For a full transcript and to hear the audio of the inauguration address, visit VPR: Peter Shumlin Describes His ‘Big, Ambitious, Achievable’ Agenda

Book Collection at Westminster West Library

Thank you to all the wonderful friends who made donations to various libraries in honor of Claire over the last year and a half. It is fitting that her teaching legacy will continue through books. Special thanks to Lisa Merton and Alan Dater for contributing profits from their documentary The World in Claire’s Classroom. Their gift enabled significant book purchases at Brooks Memorial Library in Brattleboro, Putney Public Library and the Westminster West Public Library.

As to be expected the majority of donations were given to the Westminster West Public Library, to the amount of $900, including a check for $100 from the community in Puerto Rico that the Westminster West School had held cultural exchange trips with over the years.

Bev Major, with the blessings of the Library Board of Directors, decided to create the Claire Oglseby Collection on Peace and Cultural Diversity. The books are targeted to elementary age children and stress cross-cultural understanding and world peace. “These are the things that Claire’s teaching centered on,” said Major. “Anyone who spent time in Claire’s classroom will tell you that and this is a way the library wants her to be remembered.”

The collection was introduced to the public on January 5, 2011 with a dedication ceremony including former students relaying how the lessons learned in Claire’s classroom have influenced their international understanding. The dedication was followed by a showing of The World in Claire’s Classroom.

View the Brattleboro Reformer article: Corner-for-Claire-Reformer.pdf

For Claire, from Heidi Watts, with thanks

About 1969-70 when I was working for the Antioch-Putney Graduate School up on the hill I went down to the Putney Central School to talk to Claire about taking Antioch interns. I had taught elementary school just long enough to know that I didn’t know much, but I didn’t realize, then, that Claire was going to be one of my teachers.

School was in session. We stood in the hall outside the door of her second grade classroom, which was glass about two thirds of the way up, and watched what was happening inside while Claire talked. Oh, Claire talked – we might have been in that hall for an hour.  She talked about her class, about individual children, about the interns, about the community, about how to teach reading, and while we talked I watched through the window a second grade class behaving like no teacher-less class I had ever seen.  Some children were reading, a few were working with the cusinaire rods, others were writing or drawing, all were busy. Occasionally a child would get up to ask another child for help, or to do something else. It was a model of self-motivated, self-directed purposeful learning – and they were 8 years old! That was the Claire magic – she had the vision and the skill to enable even the youngest children to be self-respecting, creative, independent learners. The other half of the magic was in the talking.

Claire talked, endlessly explaining to children how the world worked, often through questions; endlessly interpreting children to bewildered parents and teachers, interpreting to anyone who would listen the meaning of activities, the way children think, the diversity and uniqueness of children, and friends, and adults, whomever. Sometimes a single observation or anecdote would give me an insight which altered the way I thought or worked. Through talk her vision of a connected world emerged; a world in which schools were not just for children and parents but for everyone in the town. Claire connected children with the activities that engaged them, different activities for different children. She connected members of the community with each other, she connected rural Vermont with Puerto Rico, India, Ireland, places next door and halfway around the world.

I never lost the image of that self-sufficient second grade though I had many other opportunities to watch Claire in action; she taught two of my children; we served on state committees together; she worked with Antioch interns and with visiting teachers from Auroville, India. The partnership with Auroville was particularly meaningful because I could always count on Claire to respond directly, with curiosity and respect, to any type of visitor, and within minutes they might find themselves doing something with children.  There were never visitors standing around with their arms crossed in Claire’s classroom, only participants – and listeners.

– Heidi

The Foundation for World Education

The Foundation for World Education is the group responsible for financing the trips of teacher visitors from Auroville to the U.S. and they were well aware of the unique service Claire provided to Auroville by taking in these teachers, often in deep culture shock, and making them feel both needed and understood.  Claire’s work lives on in innumerable and unrecorded changes which made their way into Auroville schools, and occasionally out into the wider world.

Below are several notes received from Auroville exchange teachers mourning Claire’s passing.

From Margo MacLeod
I’ve been thinking about Claire quite often over the last week or so. She was one of those great individuals who was not afraid to be all of herself all the time–or so it seemed to me. I love what she did at the little two room schoolhouse and hope I can see that video again one day. She did, as Vermonters do, a little of everything including real estate and I first encountered her when she arrived unannounced for a swim in Gordon and Jeanne’s pool–she had, after all, found them the house and become friends so she didn’t need to stand on any ceremony. A great and generous soul. I’m sorry she never made it to AV as much for their sakes as for hers.

From Sanjeev
I recall with fondness my days at Claire’s school.
The first important lesson I learned from her was to engage people in the community around in the education of children.  Her ability to invite all who had an interest or a skill in something to talk to the children or do things with them was amazing.

The second important lesson was to keep the children free – they could at any given point be doing different things and she could be aware of what each was doing – there was no confusion, no lack of discipline and yet when things needed to be done together she could gather them with ease.

There are many other things one could list out – but the essential is the spirit with which she worked with the children – treating each as a living soul and giving each individually and all of them together what they needed for their growth.

From Shankar
I feel very sorry that Claire had to leave her body without visiting her friends in Auroville. (I remember Jean tried to bring her to AV). She could have understood how her ideas are carried out here on the other side of the world.  Let the Mother give all strength to her family to bear this.

From Thillai
I regret to hear that Claire Oglesby left us.
To be honest, my days with Claire Oglesby were one of the golden moments of my life. For me she was not only a rare and great teacher, but she also had many facets and qualities within her. She was a great administrator, trainer, admirer, explorer, follower, learner and lover of all, and children in particular. Claire is Claire, therefore, it’s difficult to copy her.

During my internship with Clare and her school in Westminster West, two media people came to record her teaching and the school. A reporter from the local newspaper named ‘Brattleboro Reformer” interviewed Claire and me. An article was published in the newspaper titled “Teaching Tactics” on 30th May, 1997. At the time, she was teaching a huge thematic project called ‘India”. And, the project was lasted more than 3 months. I was invited to help her specially for this project. In the interview she praised me a lot and mentioned about Heidi. During the teaching, she accepted and welcomed all my suggestions and she implemented all in the classroom.

In the interview she mentioned, “it’s all part of an in-depth study of a foreign culture, an annual affair. “Kids have to be educated world citizens,” she emphasized. “When you study another culture, your own becomes clearer.’ “It’s important to have kids welcome diversity.’ She added.

Another media person, probably, you all know, a video-recording of the whole theme about Claire and her school. Fortunate that I was also in the film. It is not only recorded in the media, but also in my heart.

Thank you Claire! Have a peaceful journey to the other world.

I pray for your journey to the Divine Mother!
Thillai

Students Never Forgotten

"I took a road trip back to visit VT and walked into her classroom, I could hardly believe it, but she called me by name. That still makes me smile every time I think about it." - Lisa Parks

Many past students of Claire’s have commented on their amazement that she would remember them even after many years had passed since they were in her classroom. I don’t think she forgot a single student she taught. And in remembering, she did more than remember names, she remembered what they enjoyed learning and what challenges they faced while in her school. She loved to have past students stop into the Westminster West School and to hear about their lives as adults. – Alice io

A Love of Costumes

Pilgrim Claire at the annual Westminster West School Thanksgiving.

Claire loved to dress in costume, be it Halloween, Thanksgiving or an Oscar Party. Her love of dress up and the freedom to create based around costume was contagious. She encouraged it in her students, friends and family. There was always a box of costumes in the Westminster West School and in our home for impromptu plays, or simply looking fine. Costumes also played an important part in Claire’s teaching about other cultures’ traditions, customs and arts.

After I moved from Vermont, I remember more than once receiving a package in the mail that had some wacky part of a costume she thought I would like. And when I was back for a visit she would often have costume items to send back with me. They were all well used and I now have my own costume box ready for dress-up at a moments notice. I will, like many of you, always think of Mom when I put on a costume for any event and it’ll make me smile to know she would be dressed up right along with me.  – Alice io

For more images of Claire, her friends, family and students in costume, please visit the Photo Galleries page.

From Liz Bourne, Westminster Schools Librarian

I met Claire first as a colleague. I moved to Westminster almost simultaneously with becoming our town’s first trained school librarian. We lived at the top of Patch Rd, straddling that invisible divide between West and East parishes. Starting out, I barely knew about this distinction, or that there were two schools in town, each with its own library, both now in my care.

Claire was the first of my Westminster colleagues to understand how libraries and librarians, information and its organization, support education…. this from a teacher of 6 – 8 year-olds! Claire was the first classroom teacher to specifically invite me to attend a PTA meeting to talk with parents about helping kids gather and sort information, and then share the cool stuff discovered. This was not because of her love of all things bookish, but because she taught as a curious learner herself.

Around this time, I became a member of Claire’s closer family – the parents. My Molly, like those illustrious alumni heard yesterday [referring to comments by students at the memorial celebration], has traveled, collaborated, advised, learned, and grown into a self-confident, independent adult, with so many thanks to her beginnings in Claire’s intellectual incubator.

I also see Claire as the heart of this community in whose very center I live now, even though I moved here after the Oglesbys retired to Brattleboro. I love living in the village center of Westminster West. But West West is more than a cluster of houses. For decades, Claire embodied this community’s ethos, serving as its cheerleader and outreach coordinator.

All of which brings me back to Claire and diversity. In Vermont, diversity has less to do with skin color or nationality than culture. The 3,000 inhabitants of Westminster look more or less the same, but we personify some of the most significant economic, social and cultural differences among people. Thank you Zack Aldrich, for talking yesterday [at the memorial gathering] about the sailors you now work with, and how your beginnings in Claire’s classroom inform your conversations with them now.

There were and are differences between Claire’s classroom and Mary’s, between Mary’s classroom and the Center School, between the Westminster Schools and whatever comes after. Each represents a wider world of difference. I feel our children grew in understanding and stature as they navigated from one to the next.

In that light, I encourage all to visit the Westminster Schools’ website http://wnesuwc.learningnetworks.com where Claire’s teaching peers honor her legacy. This tribute is now on our home page; it will become a link from the West School page http://wnesuwc.learningnetworks.com/pages/WNESU_WCSClasspages/wswest/Index

Commemorative Gatherings

Screening of “The World in Claire’s Classroom”
Wednesday, August 19, 7:30 pm
Westminster West Church

Organized by students who were in this wonderful documentary. Filmmakers Lisa Merton and Alan Dater will be in attendance.

Celebration of Claire’s Life
Saturday, August 22
2:00-4:00 pm
Calder Hall, Michael S. Currier Center
at The Putney School
418 Houghton Brook Rd., Putney, VT

For questions, please contact Lois Barber at (802) 387-6243 or lbarber@putneyschool.org

Westminster West School, 1970+

Teacher of the Year, 1970

Alice, Claire and Molly in the woodshop of Westminster West School, 1970.

Claire’s excellence in teaching was, to my memory anyhow, first officially acknowledged when she became Vermont Teacher of the Year in 1970. Since then she has been honored many times including in a wonderful documentary made about her titled The World in Claire’s Classroom and in receiving a Honorary Master of Arts from Marlboro College.

“A teaching team from Boston termed Mrs. Oglesby’s school “one of the best in the New England area.”
– The Independent Press, Thursday, February 4, 1971

News clippings can be viewed by clicking on the thumbnails below. – Alice

News Clippings – click on images for slideshow and larger views

[Show as slideshow]