IN A Highland Rim School classroom, Peggy Eddins Wright moves with purpose, her eyes as bright and enthusiastic as the young students she guides. She is sounding out letters in a reading lesson. After nearly 60 years of teaching, Wright’s passion for education remains undiminished.
“I’ve been blessed,” Wright said, embodying her appreciation for her life and teaching career.
As a first grade teacher for 49 years and now a reading interventionist, her life is filled with stories, the first set in the 1960s when career options for women were primarily limited to nursing, secretarial work, and teaching. Her mother, left with three girls to raise when Wright was 16 years old, insisted that her daughters obtain college educations.
“I would not have done anything to have disappointed her. I never had any other idea other than I wanted to teach,” she recalled. Her sister, Carol Hammons, is a long-time teacher in Bedford County.
Influenced by her mother’s insistence, this decision set the course for a lifelong commitment to shaping young minds.
Throughout her life, Wright has faced numerous personal and professional challenges. The loss of her first husband when their son was 16 years old reaffirmed the importance of her mother’s best hopes for her daughters’ futures.
“She said we had to be able to support ourselves if we were ever left by ourselves,” Wright said.
By herself with her teenage son, she persevered, guided by her steadfast belief that “this, too, shall pass,” and the cornerstone of her faith.
“The Lord brought this man to my church … came into my life, and he and my son got along so well. The Lord blessed me and took care of me,” Wright shared.
And when that man, Ted Wright, died, her faith sustained her again.
“The Lord blessed me and took care of me. That was a scary time, but I was taken care of, and it just worked out. I’m a blessed woman.”
The stories of perseverance through faith in Wright’s life are as countless as the stories she’s read with her classes. Her passion for teaching reading shines through in her work.
“If you can read, then books can take you anywhere you want to go,” she explained. Her greatest joy comes from instilling a love of reading in children, especially those who struggle.
Despite the challenges of modern education, including the competition for attention from digital devices, Wright remains committed to her students’ success. “I just love coming to school every day,” she beamed.
In May, Wright celebrates her 60th year of teaching, and her impact extends far beyond academic achievements. Her classroom connections endure beyond report cards and graduation, weaving a lasting network of former students who carry her lessons through life.
Reflecting on her remarkable journey, Wright remains humble and grateful.
“I can’t say it enough. I have been blessed too much. I don’t understand why, but there’s a reason, I’m sure. God’s too good to me. That’s just the way I look at it.” GN
