BRIDESBURG, Pa. (WPVI) – A Philadelphia elementary school is celebrating a very special teacher who has been inspiring young minds for 50 years.
Kathleen O’Hanlon, a first grade teacher at Bridesburg Elementary School, is celebrating her 50th anniversary as a Philadelphia public school teacher.
“I think being a teacher is almost something that you’re born with, that you always want to be a teacher from the time you’re a little girl,” she said.
O’Hanlon’s faculty and students made sure it was an anniversary she will never forget with an assembly in the cafeteria. A school board resolution was made in O’Hanlon’s honor, and a state representative presented her with a certificate.
“Who teaches for 50 years? I imagine I would have thought I would have been long retired, but I’ve been rewarded with having wonderful colleagues,” she said.
O’Hanlon says she followed in the footsteps of her aunt, Philomena O’Hanlon, who was a teacher in the Philadelphia school district when her niece was born. She calls her aunt her role model.
Bridesburg Principal Dr. Don DiPaulo says O’Hanlon has touched both students and other teachers throughout her decades of teaching.
“She’s giving so much to this, and it’s giving back to her. You can see that all the time,” he said.
Even after 50 years, O’Hanlon says she still enjoys being a teacher.
“My father said to me, ‘Kathy, you’re never gonna get old, being around the children.’ And I believe that’s really true,” she said. “I’m enjoying every day still being a teacher.”
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