Paxson near end of long career (1/15/05)

Larry Paxson has seen a lot of smiling faces during his 43 years in education.

“I just love their smiles,” the East Elementary School principal said as he walked through classrooms on Jan. 4.

He stopped briefly to look over a second grader’s shoulder as she practiced her cursive writing and then took a seat on the floor with a group of third graders working on a writing project.

Paxson enjoys spending time in the classrooms with the children.

“They are what it’s all about,” he said.

Paxson will retire in May for a second time after a total of 43 years in the Jay School Corporation. He first retired from his job with the corporation’s administrative office in 1998. He returned in 2002 as principal at East Elementary.

“I will miss the kids and the staff. I will miss the camaraderie with the adults. I think there is a real strong family feeling,” Paxson said. “I really count it as a great opportunity to come back. I have thoroughly enjoyed it. It has been a real benefit to me. I feel like now I can retire. There was just a little void when I left in 1998. The staff has been really receptive, and it’s been a pleasure.”

Paxson was principal at East Elementary from 1975, when the school opened, until 1979, when he became director of curriculum at the Jay Schools administration office. He became director of transportation in 1983. During this time, he also worked as the corporation’s business manager and director of buildings and grounds in 1988.

Becoming principal at East Elementary wasn’t Paxson’s first job at Jay Schools. In 1958, he started at Madison High School as a high school and junior high band and elementary music teacher. He also taught junior high social studies.

He was there for eight years — four years as a teacher and four years as a principal. During that time at Madison, he graduated from Ball State University with his principal’s license in 1962. In 1966, he became principal at Pennville High School.

“At that time, Madison had about 320 students and Pennville had about 650 so it was just about twice the size,” Paxson said, adding that he was principal there for eight years.

After his first go at retirement in 1998, he traveled throughout the state with the Honeywell company promoting energy-saving programs.

During this time, Paxson and his wife Alice, who is a fifth grade teacher at East Elementary, moved to North Webster.

In 2002, the principal’s position opened up at East Elementary.

“I was fortunate enough to get the position back,” Paxson said. “I really enjoyed it. I missed the kids. I missed the staff ... I just felt that there was something that I wanted to fulfill so I came back to East ... I don’t know that I would have taken another position had it not been at East.”

He first became interested in teaching through band. He attended Poling High School, where he played the trumpet.

“My band teacher was a graduate of Taylor University,” Paxson said, adding that he would travel to Taylor for youth conference and high school state band contests.

“I was interested in music. So when I graduated from high school, I went to Taylor and majored in music education,” Paxson said. “When he I graduated from Taylor, I planned on going into the Army band. My parents didn’t think it was such a great idea, so I applied for a position as a music teacher at Madison High School.”

Paxson’s son Trent Paxson, the principal of Judge Haynes Elementary School, said his parents’ teaching careers have influenced him. He has worked in the education field for 12 years.

“Mom and Dad have always been in education. That’s all me and my sister ever knew. Mom was a teacher, and Dad was a principal,” Trent Paxson said.

He remembers going to games and riding the fan bus when his dad was the principal at Pennville. He also remembers going to graduations and plays with his dad.

“We grew up in Pennville it seems like,” Trent Paxson said.

During Paxson’s years in education, technology has had the biggest impact on his job and changed the most.

“There was no thought of computers. We had manual typewriters, and we didn’t even have electrical calculators,” Paxson said.

He has also noticed “there is a different concept between parents and education. Parents still feel very strongly that they want their children to learn. They want them to be able to read, write and know mathematics.”

Paxson and wife, who is also considering retiring this year, have plans to travel to California to visit their daughter Angie Bakeis and her husband and their three children. The Paxsons also have another grandchild.

“We will probably spend some time there. I would like to be able to go out and visit them whenever they are having school functions,” Paxson said.

The couple also plans to take a cruise to Alaska with some of their friends next year, and are planning to travel to a number of northeastern states this fall.

His advice to the next principal of East Elementary, is get to know the community and staff and spend time out in the classrooms — not in the office.

“Do your paper work early in the morning or late at night, but spend your time during the day out in the classroom,” Paxson said.

Editor’s note: This is the second in a series highlighting nine Jay School Corporation employees with more than 30 years experience that plan to retire this year.[[In-content Ad]]