Linda Rodger plans to retire this year after 31 years of service to the system as a kindergarten teacher.

Throughout her career there have been many memorable moments and awards.

However, in this her 31st and final year of teaching, she received the highest honor the school can give, she was named W.O. Parmer’s Teacher of the Year.

Rodgers is well known as a hard worker by her peers and there was no doubt that she was the right choice for the award.

&uot;She is extremely dedicated to her profession,&uot; said W.O. Parmer Elementary School Principal Carole Teague. &uot;It has been an honor and a pleasure for all of us to work with her.&uot;

Rodgers is well known for her tireless efforts. However, to her it hardly seems like work at all.

&uot;This is just what I love to do,&uot; said Rodgers. &uot;This has been my life for so long and I couldn’t have ever seen myself doing anything else.&uot;

It was not Rodgers’ original plan to become a kindergarten teacher. She had first considered a career educating older children.

&uot;When I finished my degree in 1972 at Alabama State University I had planned on becoming a high school typing teacher,&uot; said Rodgers. &uot;But then I was offered a job as a kindergarten teacher and the rest is history.&uot;

Rodgers spent her entire career in Greenville where she was born and raised.

She felt very fortunate to have been able to serve her hometown.

&uot;I was very lucky to get a job here,&uot; said Rodgers. &uot;Being able to stay around people I have known my whole life has been wonderful.&uot;

Soon Rodgers brilliant career will come to a close.

At the end of the school year Rodgers will step aside and begin to enjoy life at a slower pace.

&uot;It is going to be nice to relax,&uot; said Rodgers. &uot;I hope to do a lot of traveling and other things that I have wanted to do.&uot;

Retirement will also give Rodgers time to spend with her three grandchildren Jacolby Young, Taylor Young, and Sam Hudson Jr.

&uot;I look forward to spending a little more time with them,&uot; said Rodgers. &uot;I get to see them a lot now but I can always use more time.&uot;

Rodgers retirement will leave a large hole in W.O. Parmer.

She will be very missed by all of us,&uot; said Teague. &uot;She has been a wonderful role-model, and a great motivator for everyone.&uot;

Rodgers has been a fixture in the school system for so long that it will seem empty without her.

Though her teaching career is coming to an end she will always be remembered by the hundreds she has influenced through the years.