McLaughlin finishes 40+ years at St. John

St-John-Endicott teacher Debbie McLaughlin retires this year after a career in education spanning more than four decades. She has taught elementary and high school classes, middle school art and physical education.

“In a small school, you teach where you are needed,” McLaughlin said.

A Spokane native, she graduated from Joel E. Ferris High School, attended Spokane Falls Community College and Eastern Washington University.

She was hired at St. John in the fall of 1977 to teach second-grade and has remained in the district ever since. She commuted more than an hour every day from Spokane.

In retirement, McLaughlin plans to use the abundance of free time to dive back into her favorite pastimes.

“My immediate plans are to have what a co-worker called a 'plan-free summer,'” McLaughlin said. “I will be paying more attention to my flower beds and reading books that I choose to read, not related to school prep for the following year. Spending more time with my sisters and their families will also be high on my to-do list.”

While McLaughlin looks forward to re-connecting with her passions, she said retiring will be bittersweet. “I will miss the students most of all, but not the piles of papers that were corrected.

I will miss the commute and the beautiful scenery, but not the deer or winter driving,” she added.