After 42 years, Lamb says goodbye to Bradie Shrum Elementary

For the past 42 years, Renee Lamb has been a familiar face at Bradie Shrum Elementary School. A job she has thoroughly loved.

“I always wanted to teach,” said Lamb, adding that she was influenced by her fifth grade teacher at Orleans Elementary School. “She was a very caring person – dedicated to teaching.”

She said what she remembers most about that teacher was her love for reading.

“She always read to us after recess and I can specifically remember her reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” she laughed. “Becuase of her, I’ve always enjoyed reading!”

Lamb graduated from Orleans High School and attended Indiana State, where she received her bachelor's degree. She earned her master's degree at Indiana University Southeast. She said she has a minor in middle school language arts, but never taught it because she enjoyed teaching the little kids so much.

While Lamb spent the majority of her career teaching first grade, she became a Title 1 teacher four years ago. She said it was an adjustment because she was used to having her own classroom and now she shares a classroom with three other teachers.

They work with kindergarten through third grade now, but at one point they worked with kindergarten through fifth grade. She went from having the same group of students all day to having a rotating group that she only had for 30 minutes. 

However, even with her job changing, her favorite part of what she does didn’t change. 

“I love watching a child learn how to read!” she said. “Seeing how proud they are of themselves… really any skill they achieve that builds their confidence… that’s my favorite part of the job.”

In her 42 years, Lamb has seen a lot of changes in the education world, from curriculum to administration in the building. 

“The state mandates are so much more involved than they used to be,” she said. “There’s a lot more testing and a lot more expectations put on both the students and teachers.”

When asked what is the biggest challenge she has faced in her career, without hesitation, Lamb said COVID 19. 

“It was rough!” she said. “And I didn’t get to finish the school year with those kids.”

One of the highlights of her career was when her daughter, Nicole Motsinger, joined her as a teacher at BSE. In fact, Motsinger teaches in the same classroom her Lamb first taught in when she was hired.

“It’s been fun (teaching with her), but I honestly don’t get to see her much!” she laughed. 

When August rolls around, Lamb said she will miss the excitement of getting ready for a new year.

“But most of all, I'll miss the students and everyone that works here!”

In her retirement, she will travel more, get caught up on books she had had time for and spend time with her grandchildren.

“We will be getting a new grandbaby in the next couple of weeks!” she added. 

While she will miss the classroom, students and friends, Lamb is looking forward to spending more time with her husband, three daughters, and grandchildren, who she will undoubtedly share her love of reading with.