Most people change their employers a few times over the course of their professional career.

But sometimes, a job can become more than just a job.

The people you work with become friends, and eventually family.

For three teachers at St. Jerome Regional School in Tamaqua, the Catholic school has become a significant chapter in their lives.

But after a combined 125 years of teaching experience, kindergarten teacher Mary Dakosty, first-grade teacher Mary Beth Klein and second-grade teacher Lisa Lindenmuth feel it is time to close out their chapters and move on to the next.

The trio will retire at the end of the 2020-2021 school year after serving over three decades each at the school.

“They have been a part of St. Jerome Regional School for many years and we will miss each of them very much,” said Principal Amy Hannis-Miskar. “They have dedicated their lives to teaching the Catholic faith. We appreciate all of their hard work and dedication to SJRS, and our entire school family wishes them all the best in their retirement.

“May God bless them with health and happiness as they begin their retirement years!”

Building a career

Lindenmuth began her teaching career 45 years ago, with 36 of those years at St. Jerome.

“I wanted to be a teacher ever since I could remember,” she said. “The teachers I had fostered that desire. My goal was to become a history teacher because of the teachers that taught me. However, during my second year in college, I changed my major to elementary/early childhood education.

“I never regretted that decision.”

Lindenmuth worked as a long-term substitute in many Carbon and Schuylkill County schools, as well as taught at Head Start in Coaldale and Palmerton before getting hired at St. Jerome.

The young mother dove headfirst into her new career and never looked back.

Over the next three decades, Lindenmuth taught hundreds of students and fostered in them the importance of a Catholic education.

“I have had the privilege to have had in my classroom many fine young students,” Lindenmuth said. “I learned from them as much as I hope they learned from me. When I look back over the years, first I can’t believe how quickly those years have flown by. I am filled with gratitude. Gratitude to have been in a profession where I was able to assist young people to be the best they could be and achieve their potential.”

With regards to her fellow teachers, “There are not enough adjectives to tell people about the staff, faculty and administration at St. Jerome,” she said. “Most of these women have been my extended family for over 35 years. We have supported each other through the birth of our children, and now for some of us grandchildren, weddings, sickness and even deaths.

“They are truly an exceptional group of women. They have been a shoulder to cry on, and a soft place to land. They have also been my joy. I want them to know I have been blessed to have them in my life.”

She thanks the school staff and families for the memories she had made.

Looking forward, Lindenmuth said that she doesn’t have any specific plans for retirement, but hopes to travel and spent time with her children, as well as substitute at the school and get involved in volunteer work.

A generation of teachers

Like Lindenmuth, Dakosty always knew she wanted to teach children, mainly because of her family. Both she and her husband, Stan, are active in the teaching field, as well as other family members, who were “great role models for the teaching profession.”

Dakosty began her 40-year teaching career in the special education department at Center County I.U. She then taught at St. Joseph Regional Academy in Jim Thorpe and St. Stephen Catholic School in Port Carbon before settling into St. Jerome Regional School.

“It has been a blessing to work with amazing teachers, staff and administrators who are not just colleagues but friends,” she said of her time at St. Jerome. “We have gone through all of life’s momentous occasions together from the birth our children to marriages, losing loved ones and now sharing grandchildren stories. I could not have worked with better people.

“I have taught so many wonderful children over the years. They have made coming into the classroom fun and rewarding every day.

“I could never imagine being in any other profession. I thank God for the opportunity that I had to work with children as a Catholic schoolteacher. I would not change it for the world.”

Dakosty’s retirement plans include spending more time with her children and grandchildren, as well as finally getting to some projects that she has planned for around her home.

Making a difference

Klein always knew she wanted to be a teacher because she wanted to have a positive impact on students and build a lifelong love of learning.

She began her 40-year teaching career at McAdoo Catholic before transferring to St. Jerome Regional.

For the next 32 years, she enjoyed teaching the students about God and about how to follow your dreams.

“I will always cherish my days of teaching,” she said. “Each student has impacted my life in some way. I feel blessed to have been part of SJRS.”

Klein said that her plans for retirement are simple, enjoy spending time with her grandchildren.