St. Albans City School’s Kathleen Williams is retiring from her position as Kindergarten Teacher this year.

Williams started her career at St. Albans City School (SACS) 35 years ago as a crossing guard, to start teaching 14 years later in June 1999.

““I have been at City School for 35 years, I’ve been teaching for 20… I started at SACS subbing, so the very first year I was the crossing guard before and after school, then I worked in the lunchroom. I did that for one year, then said “no, I’m not doing that again.” Then I started subbing and went back to school (to become a teacher). I did my student teaching at SACS, teaching Third Grade. Then I was a paraeducator for three years under a special educator, then I got a long term position as a First Grade teacher… then they put me in Kindergarten and I’ve been teaching there since,” Williams said. 

During her time as a teacher, Williams’s favorite class to teach was Sixth Grade Literacy.

“I loved Sixth Grade Literacy, I love books and reading… Sixth Grade was a little bit easier to teach,” Williams said.

Williams’s favorite part of teaching is the connections she has the opportunity to make with students, especially if that connection stems slightly beyond the reaches of SACS.

“When I see students on the street they always say “Hi,” to me, some students come back. One student in one of my first classes teaching, in Third Grade, was out of college and talked to me, she said she still remembered Third Grade and that I’d given her a photo album and she still had it,” Williams said.

Looking into retirement, Williams hoped to travel to visit family, sadly the current pandemic has put a temporary stopper on these plans. Williams hopes to return to SACS in September for one final goodbye to her former students.

“I was looking forward to visiting family in Pennsylvania, this was before the closure. In September I’m planning to go back to SACS to help my Kindergarteners transition to First Grade, because I feel that I need to see them and have some closure with them,” Williams said.

If you’d like to leave a personal message for Ms. Williams, send her an email at [email protected] or send a letter to SACS at 29 Bellows Street, St. Albans City, in care of Kathleen Williams.