Hermosa View Bids Farewell to 48-year Teacher

The moment you step into Room 2 at Hermosa View Elementary School, you are transported to a world where space, science and culture collide. Second-grade teacher Jan Stewart, 69, built this fantasy land during her tenure in Hermosa Beach, which will come to a close on Wednesday.

Stewart, who began teaching the moment she graduated from San Diego State University, said that she endured "harassment" from the Hermosa Beach City School District and parents demeaning her curriculum.

School officials and two parents have objected to her unconventional classroom, filled with student projects, stuffed animals, shelves of books and carpet laced with confetti, she said. Additionally, the district favors standardized testing, which uses test scores to assess student learning, eliminating the need for the daily projects and activities Stewart's class engages in. 

Stewart further explained in an interview her teaching method and onset battle with the school:

Patch: What made you want to become a teacher?

JS: I always wanted to teach, since I could remember. I taught my first class straight out of college.

Patch: Do you remember the first day you taught?

JS: I don't remember that exact day, but I remember the (school) year. It was an experience, they put me in a rundown neighborhood in Redondo Beach. I remember these kids, 4th graders, they couldn't read, one was getting expelled. Of course it got better throughout the years, but it was interesting.

Patch: Is there a particular student that stands out to you?

JS: Oh, I love all of my students. I don't have a family of my own so, they're like my family. I have a Thanksgiving dinner here where the kids make a delicious vegetable soup, with parental supervision, and this apple sauce, it's the best you'll ever taste. And they do it all on their own, they learn to work with each other.

Patch: What was your favorite subject to teach?

JS: Well, they do call me the "spacewoman," if you couldn't already tell. I love science ... But if I had to pick a favorite, it would be reading. After recess we take a 20-minute reading break and all the kids get a book and we have silent reading. I think I'll miss that the most.

Patch: How has this past school year treated you?

JS: There were highs and lows. When the kids wrote letters to stop the school from taking all of my stuff down [because of arguments that the room was too cluttered], [school officials] said I made them do it. I did no such thing. I had no idea the kids were writing those letters. They were from the heart. I'd like to finish my year in peace and quiet.

Patch: Were the objections from the administration and the two parents a factor in your retirement?

JS: Yes, I couldn't take it anymore. There isn't any more freedom and I never thought this would be the way I'd leave.

Patch: What were the highs from your last year at View?

JS: I'll miss taking walks to the park. The kids and I would just talk, get the wiggles out and pick up trash. It was great. I know when I do a toast to them on my last day it will probably be the only time I won't be able to stop crying. It's a sad time to leave, this isn't how it was supposed to happen. It's all such a shock to me and very heartbreaking.

Patch: What do you plan to keep from Room 2?

JS: I'll keep a few books, definitely all the Harry Potter's. One of my students asked me if he could take the Harry Potter's and it's the only time I had to say 'no, these are mine!' 

Patch: What's in store for you in the future?

JS: I don't even know. All I'm thinking about is getting out of here first. I'm big on the environment so I do have places I can volunteer at, the Historical Society, the garden club, and there's an animal rescue in Culver City, too. For now I'm just trying to get my stuff out of here.

Patch: Do you see yourself living in another city?

JS: I'm staying in Hermosa Beach. I grew up in Santa Monica, went to school in San Diego and I've lived in Manhattan Beach, Hermosa and Redondo. I just love Hermosa, I don't see myself anywhere else.