All good things must come to an end

Frownfelter retires after 29 years

By Chelsea Reid

May 08, 2008

Over the past 29 years, Diana Frownfelter has established relationships that will last forever - relationships she will miss when she retires in May.

“I’m going to miss the variety of kids that you get to work with. You never know what is going to happen from one day to the other...”

Before becoming a teacher, Frownfelter got the chance to be a marketing specialist in western Kansas.

“My job was to promote Kansas agriculture products. I got to do television shows, write news releases, traveled and worked with different parts of agriculture in Kansas. That was a good experience that I got to do,” she said.

Frownfelter began teaching right out of college at El Dorado High School located in western Kansas. She taught there for four years.

“This was a great first job. I didn’t have any outside sponsorship and there were other young teachers there. It had a great principal and there was a new facility. I was very fortunate to land that job as a new teacher,” she said.

Frownfelter decided to start a family when she lived in western Kansas.

“When I got married, I lived in western Kansas where I did a lot of traveling there or out of state. I decided that I wanted to start a family, and I didn’t want to live out in western Kansas. I heard that the teacher here at Silver Lake had retired so I applied for the job and was good enough to be hired,” she explained.

Frownfelter became the home economics teacher at Silver Lake High School. She taught bachelor living, which was a class for boys only. She had to eliminate that class,however, and start co-ed classes. Over the years, she has taught careers, child development, marriage and family, family and consumer science, sewing, intersocial and personal resource management, and encountering foreign cultures. She also serves as the FCCLA sponsor.

Frownfelter has taught a variety of classes over the years. (Photo provided - 1999)

“In FCCLA, I remember three students who were a blast. They were Tonya, Stacy, and Serena. They could turn any dull moment into a party,” she said.

Current FCCLA president Jaimie Tosh has learned from Frownfelter.

“Mrs. Frownfelter has inspired me to build my leadership skills over the last three years. As FCCLA president, I have learned to possess many quality skills such as time management, organization, and character, thanks to her,” said Tosh.

Frownfelter will remember both the positives and negatives about teaching when she retires.

“My favorite part would be working with the kids and watching their personalities develop. It’s fun to check up on kids who have already graduated and see what they are up to. My least favorite part would be grading, all the paperwork, and all the discipline.

“The discipline has been the most frustrating thing. I really hate that part of it. There’s so much paperwork that you have to question, ‘Does it really pertain to us teaching?’”

Frownfelter is retiring after 29 years of teaching. Photo provided - 1989)

Retirement is a time to relax and enjoy time with family. Frownfelter has many plans for her retirement.

“The first two months I’m going to treat like summer vacation. I also have a grandson that lives out of state. I will go take care of him whenever he needs me. My son lives in Ohio, and he will probably transfer to another job in another state, so I will help him move when that time comes.”

“I plan to meet some other retired friends and go eat lunch with them. I have no plans to sub or look for a permanent job, but I might later on. I will also help my husband in the jacket business,” she said.

Frownfelter said she will miss watching the students succeed and watching them smile after they have successfully completed a project.

“I love the feeling of satisfaction that you get when a student learns a new skill or when they are excited about something they have made. I’m going to miss that part of teaching,” she said.