Duke School Under the Oak Magazine, Fall 2020

Everything I Needed to Know
I Learned in Kindergarten
Beloved kindergarten teacher Debbie Marshall retired last June after 29 years at Duke
School. Who better to reflect and share experiences with her than a former student and
rising star in the world of early childhood education, Rebecca Feinglos Planchard ’03?
A Teacher’s Perspective:
Rebecca: What first drew you to becoming
a teacher?
would I have done if I had felt like I had lots
of choices?”
Debbie: I was a child of the ’50s and ’60s.
Basically, we had two or three options as girls:
teacher, nurse, secretary, or some variation. I
guess that was sort of always in my head. But I
loved kids. I babysat all the time as a teenager.
In the summers, the folks at my church would
ask me to do the 3- and 4-year-olds class in
Bible School. I remember being very relaxed
doing that. One of the summers we visited
friends, and the dad came over to me and said,
“You are really good with kids.” That stuck with
me. Now, I kind of wish that I could have grown
up in an era like this because I wonder, “what
Rebecca: But I think it seemed to work out
pretty well for you.
Debbie: I can truthfully say that this was never
just my job. It was my passion.
Rebecca: I know I felt that as a kid in your
class. There’s no doubt about that. How have
you seen kindergarten change over your 29
years?
Debbie: The first thing that changed
curriculum-wise was the introduction of reading
UNDER THE OAK 21