When teachers retire, students imagine them taking permanent vacations to places like Florida or becoming substitutes or just continuing to torture students on their own time – without the commitment.  In the case of one teacher, retirement isn’t a vacation; it’s just the opportunity to start a new career.

For the last thirty-five years, Mrs. Julia Ebersole has worked in the Harford County Public Schools system.  She started at Joppatowne High School where she taught for six years, transferred to Edgewood High School for twelve, and eventually settled in room 222 where she has taught for the last 17 years.

            Between the three schools, Mrs. Ebersole taught the Gifted and Talented program, the newspaper, and creative writing before settling for 11^th and 12^th grade English classes of all levels at Fallston High School.

            “I could have taught my whole day as creative writing at Edgewood,” said Mrs. Ebersole.  However, since helping write the curriculum for the AP English literature course in 2000, it’s become her favorite to teach.

            “We have total freedom and once the curriculum is passed by the College Board we can more or less do whatever we want with it,” said Mrs. Ebersole.  “I really like the short pieces that we read along with the adaptability of the work so it’s fun for me.  The students really show great interest in it.”

            “She was always ten steps ahead of me,” joked Ms. Haupt who taught one section of AP English Literature for the first time this year.  “She was always very generous in making sure to share whatever materials she had with me and respected me enough to ask for my opinion in setting the curriculum for the year.  She has been a very good guide and mentor to me.”

Mrs. Ebersole first became a teacher because it was practical, and of course, reading was something she loved.

“My mother was raised in Europe and my father was raised in West Virginia and to become a teacher was something that was extremely important.  Reading was something that was valued,” explained Mrs. Ebersole.  “There were not an extensive group of jobs, to my knowledge, that you could go into and the intent was always that we would go to college.  It was important to my parents that you have a formal education and I think that there’s a value in that.  When I went to college, the typical person did not.”

            “Mrs. Ebersole has always been kind and gracious.  She has been generous with her time and commitment to the school and this department,” said English department chair Mrs. Sandy McMichael.  “When I came to Fallston High School, she was the first teacher who really made an effort to bring me into the department and the school.”

Students and teachers both praise Mrs. Ebersole for her dedication to her students at Fallston.

            Senior Mike Amoreillo had Mrs. Ebersole for AP English this year.  “Mrs. Ebersole gave me a chance to move up to AP English, and it worked out really well for me.  She gives people the chance to succeed in a college-like classroom and atmosphere with a mix of humor and seriousness.  She’s a great teacher.”

            “She’s calm and purposeful.  She doesn’t depend only on her personality, but she’s also content based.  That’s when you know people are good teachers,” said guidance counselor Mrs. Soubi Sullivan.  “She captures what an English teacher should be.  When she talks about a character, regardless of the medium, she’s able to talk about the character as a real person.  She’s intimate with the characters she teaches about and takes a multi-faceted approach.  She takes this approach not only in the classroom, but with her students as well.  It doesn’t matter if the student has an A or a D in the class, she works with them in helping them to succeed.”

            After receiving her degree from Towson University, Mrs. Ebersole began work in Harford County because the county seemed to “promote camaraderie in the school system and wanted the best for the student body,” said Mrs. Ebersole.

Known as “Mama Eb” to her students, Mrs. Ebersole has always put her students and their needs before the curriculum and thought it was important her students be readily prepared for their futures.

            “Mrs. Ebersole really assisted me during the process of applying to college.  I applied for twenty-five different scholarships and she helped me by writing several recommendation letters,” said senior Sarah Holter.  “I really appreciate all the work she has done in helping me prepare for college.”

While English and Ebersole seem to go hand-in-hand at Fallston, if she hadn’t become a teacher she said that she probably would have become a research scientist in biology because she “could see working in a lab and having fun with it.”

Mrs. Ebersole’s dreams of becoming a scientist are still possible.  She is choosing not to retire completely from the workforce after this school year; instead, she is changing careers.  To what?  She’s not too sure yet.  Known for knowing everything, no matter what profession Mrs. Ebersole goes into after retiring from teaching, she’s sure to have great success.

 “I will never be the person that sits at home.  I’m not good at that,” said Mrs. Ebersole.  “I’m going to get my stuff together, write a résumé, and find a job.”  While she is not exactly sure what new career she will start, thirty-five years of teaching leaves Mrs. Ebersole with a lot of knowledge, experience, and memories to take with her as she ventures off to her next career of choice.

The seniors of the class of 2012 are honored to have Mrs. Ebersole choose their class to be her last.

 “I’m going to miss Mrs.Ebersole so much,” commented senior Hunter Nicolette.  “She’s probably my favorite teacher in this school.  I’ve had her for two years and it will be weird not seeing her every other day next year.  I asked if she would room with me in college.  I love Mama Eb!”

Mrs. Ebersole declined Hunter’s request to room together next year.  Instead she will be spending her time reading, gardening, taking day trips with friends, and starting her new career outside of Fallston’s English cluster.

            “I won’t miss the air conditioning,” joked Mrs. Ebersole, “but I will miss the people.  I will miss teaching.  I think that I have learned easily as much, if not more, not only about facts and things, but about myself.  I think that’s something teaching really gives to you.”