copy in the refrigerator in case of a fire. “Excellent teachers should always have high expectations for their students and should have the ability to communicate with them,” he said. “They should be able to meet kids where they are. Also, teachers should possess a strong content background, a sense of humor, a sense of fairness, compassion and an awareness and understanding of students’ backgrounds. Teachers are repairing all the time; It’s about equity.” Ley decided to retire in 2001. He was still enjoying his work but knew that longevity did not run in his family. Besides, he and Mari wanted to travel. To celebrate his retirement, four of Ley’s former students invited their favorite professor to a “farewell tour” at Long Cane Middle School in LaGrange, Georgia. The teachers had a t-shirt designed in Ley’s honor. He met and taught his former students’ classes that day, and the event was covered by the local newspaper. As the Leys settled into retirement in 2001, they traveled extensively. Before the pandemic, they had traveled to 15 foreign countries. They have taken five trips
with Road Scholar and currently have reservations for visiting San Antonio, Texas, in 2022. Besides traveling again, Ley hopes to return to Wrights Mill Road Elementary School when pandemic protocols are lifted. Since 2003, he had worked with selected fourth and fifth graders, providing literacy support for the students, meeting with each of them twice a month for half an hour. “The children were chosen primarily because they could use some one-on-one time to shore up their reading and writing skills, their self-confidence and their positive attitudes toward communication,” he said. Ley has worked with more than 70 boys and girls so far. When asked what advice he would give brand new teachers in 2021, Ley said, “I would tell them to persevere, and we would talk about what the word means.” Ley said he can’t imagine teaching children virtually because it would be completely foreign to him. He plans to continue teaching for OLLI as long as he is able. No rocking chairs for him. He will persevere.