M a r c h 2 0 1 8 • M a r i e m o n t, O h i o • Vo l u m e X L I I , N o . 6
A Conversation with Mariemont “Garden Lady” Louise Schomburg By Peter McBride Long-time Mariemont resident Louise Schomburg, often referred to as the “garden lady,” has had a distinguished career as a beloved teacher in Mariemont schools and in retirement has used her boundless energy and talent volunteering to tend the Village’s parks, public gardens and green spaces. Ms. Schomburg’s teaching career began after earning a Bachelor of Education degree at UC and a Med degree at Xavier. In January 1969, she was hired mid-year as a Grade 4 teacher at what was then our (much smaller) elementary school on Chestnut Street. She started out teaching all subjects, but eventually became both the English and Social Studies teacher. Louise has always loved history and was a member of the Cincinnati Historical Society, for whom she wrote a social studies workbook. In her role as the school’s Grade 4 social studies teacher, Schomburg wrote and developed Mariemont Elementary Schoolfocused curriculum units for social studies. Louise remarked that her teaching style was always aimed at bringing a balance of effective classroom management, not just attentive focus on “the basics,” but also experiential learning and a deep caring for her students. “You have to be strict enough to keep control of your classroom, but you also need to make learning fun.” Ms. Schomburg retired from teaching at the end of the school year in 2000, after 30 ½ years of school and classroom service as an exemplary teacher. When prompted to
Our "Garden Lady," Louise Schomburg, tends to gardens in the Old Town Square. reflect on that impressive and praiseworthy accomplishment, Louise noted that “Every student – and every parent – is unique and different, but ‘silly stuff ’ almost always works. If you are a teacher and not having fun yourself (plus making learning fun for your students), you’re in the wrong profession.” In fact, being remembered by former students is still among her proudest and fondest memories of teaching. She often bumps into former students or their parents around the Village, such as the young cashier
at Kroger’s who told Louise that (blush!) she “didn’t look any different from when you taught me”; or the parent who told the former teacher, “You were my son’s/ daughter’s all-time favorite teacher”; or “You were the ‘teacher-of-choice’ at the school and every parent wanted their children to ‘get’.” There was also the time that Louise received an invitation to a former student’s pending wedding reception. It came with a handwritten note that said that he wasn’t having a big wedding, but he wanted “one of cont'd on page 4