Long-time speech teacher resigning (4/9/05)

Becky Henry’s career as a speech/language pathologist is something to talk about.

Henry will retire in June from the Jay School Corporation after 34 years.

“Thirty-four years at Jay County. That is a lot of years,” Henry said Monday in her classroom at Redkey Elementary School. “It has been fun ... It is a good career. The kids are fun and interesting.”

The Muncie resident, formerly of Marion, works with about 80 students a week at West Jay Middle, Pennville Elementary, Redkey Elementary and Westlawn Elementary schools. She works with kindergartners to eighth graders in small groups or individually.

“It has been a good field. I work with a variety of students,” Henry said.

Henry teaches students articulation and language skills.

Working on articulation, Henry shows students how to correctly make sounds and pronounce letters or words.

“What we are hoping to do is use those sounds in conversation as an automatic process, an automatic thing we do and don’t even have to think about it,” she said.

Henry also performs language therapy by helping students who are not sure of labeling things with the correct words and sentence structure.

Henry said the amount of time she works with each student varies.

“It can be a long process,” Henry said. “Generally speaking we start (working with students) around second grade unless the child has multiple (language) errors. Then we start earlier. It can take anywhere from a year to three or four. It also depends on what sounds they are having trouble with.”

There are three speech/language pathologists in the Jay School Corporation for students in preschool to 12th grade.

“I have been in every building at one time or another,” the Ball State University graduate said.

Henry said that after graduating from Ball State with her master’s degree in 1969, there were no jobs in Muncie. She interviewed in Jay County where she was offered a position.

“It seemed like a good fit,” she said.

Henry has no specific plans for retirement.

“I am going to read the newspaper every morning, and my mother lives in Marion. Hopefully I will get to do more with and for her,” Henry said. “I also have family scattered around. Maybe I will knock on their doors and do a little traveling ... But sitting with a newspaper and drinking coffee sounds very good.”

Although Henry is looking forward to her leisurely mornings, she will miss the students and teachers.

“I will miss the kids and all of the adults that I have worked with. I have met a lot of neat people,” Henry said. “I will miss that.”[[In-content Ad]]