Where Are They Now?
By Eva Frederick
Dublin High School graduate Jean Whiteley Crawford knew she wanted to be a teacher since she was in fourth grade. Her teacher that year, Mrs. Laquay, was supportive and kind. “She believed in me and thought I could do it, and so I thought, ‘Well, okay, I can do this,’” Crawford remembers.
Mrs. Laquay even paired Crawford with another student who was struggling with math, and from then on Crawford had no doubts about what she wanted to do. Now, Crawford is wrapping up a 35-year career in education.
Crawford graduated from Dublin High School in 1976, and went to Tarleton to earn her teaching degree. She graduated from Tarleton in 1980, and in 1981 began her first teaching job, working first as a physical education teacher and then as a first grade teacher in Elkhart in East Texas.
In Elkhart she met a man named Robert Crawford. “He lived in my apartment complex, and one day he was watching me walk by from his car and he ran into a post,” she said. “I thought, ‘Huh.’” Later they were introduced through mutual friends, and the Crawfords married soon after. They spent the next few decades moving around with Crawford’s job in the oilfields.
In 1984, they moved to Alice, Texas, where Crawford taught sixth and seventh grade Reading Recovery, a program designed to help struggling students catch up. Crawford missed the younger students though, and after two years at the junior high she switched over to teaching first grade again. “I love the first grade kids,” she said.
After five years in Alice, Crawford’s husband was eligible for a promotion, so they moved back to East Texas to Cayuga and then Carlisle. While teaching at Carlisle, she went to The University of Texas at Tyler to get her Master’s Degree in Education and Curriculum and Instruction. They then moved to West Texas to the Midland/Odessa area. Crawford taught English and Language Arts for third and fourth graders.
While living in Odessa, the Crawfords adopted two children, Tyler and Taylor in 1998. The family moved to the Tomball/ Magnolia area outside of Houston. Crawford started out teaching fourth grade Language Arts, and then moved up to administration as the assistant principal of Bear Branch Elementary School in Magnolia, Texas. Crawford served as the assistant principal for nine years.
When their children were juniors in high school, Crawford’s husband passed away. Crawford stayed in the area until her children graduated from Magnolia High School, then moved back to Stephenville.
She had decided to retire, but soon after moving back Crawford started substitute teaching, which led to a full time position at Morgan Mill as a history teacher. “I taught sixth, seventh and eighth grade history in the mornings, and in the afternoon I was an aide,” she said. “Pretty soon they learned that I had also been a dyslexia coordinator in Magnolia, and so that’s what I’m doing now. I’m a dyslexia specialist and do reading intervention at Morgan Mill ISD.”
She’s held this part-time position for the past two years, and enjoys the slower pace. “I am able to come home early and take a little nap, and then get my house ready for my two-year-old grandson to come over,” she said.
She plans to retire for good after another couple of years. After 35 years in education, Crawford feels grateful for the opportunities she’s had. “I just really enjoyed my job,” she said. “I really liked going to school, and I love the kids, and that makes it easy to go to work every day.”
In her retirement, Crawford is looking forward to spending as much time as possible with her two children and three grandchildren. Her son Tyler and daughter Taylor are both 24 now, and both live in the area.
Raising her children after her husband passed away was challenging for Crawford. “I’m still working on it today,” she said. “Family is really important and it’s great to have, make sure you keep those bonds.”
Crawford advises future graduates to trust their gut instincts on what career or life path feels right to them. “If you have something in mind that you want to do, go for it,” she said. “Because there’s always that chance it is exactly what you want.”
Editor’s Note: This column chronicles what Dublin graduates have done since high school. If you have any suggestions for other grads, email publisher@ dublincitizen. com.