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Retired educator Ila Gillis of Hammond stays active in union and community volunteer activities. One of her hobbies is decorating cakes, such as these that she prepared for a Glenwood Area Historical Society meeting. |
Retired teacher finds new ways to stay involved
Ila Gillis of Hammond had held every leadership position possible in her local and UniServ. Then, after 31 years of teaching at Glenwood City Elementary School, she decided it was time to retire.
But like so many dedicated WEAC members, Gillis stepped from one leadership role into the next. Her husband of 51 years, Jim, finds it no surprise that she now spends her days singing in the church choir, reading and… serving as a member of the WEAC-Retired Board of Directors. She is also easily convinced to return to the classroom as a substitute teacher, something she’s done for seven years now.
It’s what feels natural to Gillis, who completed her term as West Central Education Association-Retired president on September 1.
What do you believe makes a great school? Kids, involved parents, competent colleagues and good administrators make a great school. What are your fondest memories of your career? The children and some of the things they said and did. I remember the looks on their faces when they discovered they understood something that once puzzled them. What drew you to the field of education? A love of learning and school, from age 5, and a high school band instructor and a science teacher urging me to go on to school. What is the best comment anyone has made to you professionally? “I want to be a teacher like you when I grow up.” Right now, what are you reading? “Gods and Generals” by Jeff Shaara and “The Agony & The Ecstasy” by Irving Stone. If you were something other than a teacher, what would you be? I can’t imagine anything else except what I am: wife, teacher, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. |
Gillis’ commitment to education is as well known around her small town as her award-winning homemade grape wine and needlecrafts. And Gillis, who didn’t become a teacher until age 35, is proud of her involvement. “Having had children of my own made me more tolerant of parents’ problems and children’s abilities,” she said.
Family has always been supportive of Gillis’ union involvement – her husband drove her to Philadelphia for the NEA Representative Assembly this past summer. And she is delighted that daughter Morena is a teacher, and daughter Melanie is a head school nurse.
Her list of union positions is long, from local president to a WEAC Board representative. And while her roles may have changed, she has steadfastly pursued the goal of improving the education profession to benefit students. What is the No. 1 problem standing in the way? School funding, Gillis is quick to say.
WEAC’s Great Schools Member Spotlight features WEAC members who are making a difference in the lives of others every day in their schools and communities. Member Spotlight profiles appear on OnWEAC, and one profile is selected each month for the OnWEAC In Print newspaper. To submit a suggestion for a Member Spotlight candidate, send an e-mail to the WEAC Public Relations Department.
Posted September 28, 2007
