A TEACHER’S IMPACT doesn’t end when the school year does — or even when they stop teaching. The support, encouragement, and belief they show their students can last a lifetime. A lesson shared or a kind word offered might help someone face a tough decision, chase a dream, or find the confidence to believe in themselves. That kind of influence doesn’t just fade — it spreads. Years later, in homes, jobs, and communities, the voice of a great teacher still echoes.
Colorfully scribbled pictures and uneven cutouts of small hands, hearts, and whimsical shapes cover a closet door in the warm, welcoming home of Rosemary Thompson. Though a devoted mother of two, these vibrant creations are not her children’s — they are treasured mementos from her nearly two-decade-long teaching career. Each handmade token tells a story of laughter, learning, and love — a testament to the countless young lives she touched, inspired, and forever shaped in her classroom.
As a military wife, mother, and teacher, Thompson has never met a stranger. Moving often while raising her family taught her to make a home wherever she went — and to find community wherever she could.
Originally from Lincoln County, Thompson graduated from high school and married her sweetheart before spending 20 years traveling with her husband during his Air Force service. When he retired, they returned home, ready for the next chapter.
With a new season ahead, Thompson initially explored real estate. But her family saw her true calling.
“My oldest daughter and my husband got to thinking, and they said I needed to be a teacher. While I hadn’t thought much about it, I did love being at school,” said Thompson.
She enrolled at Athens State and embraced the journey of earning her degree.
“When I finished and got my degree, I went around every day and bothered people to get a job,” she explained fondly. “Greg Holder, who hired me, said he had to hire me to get me to leave him alone. I knew I was to be a teacher. It was something Jesus gave me. I wanted to make a difference in little people’s lives.”
Greg Holder, then principal of South Lincoln School, hired her as a third grade teacher. From the start, Thompson loved the classroom.
“I’ve loved being a teacher,” she said. “I didn’t become a teacher until I was 44. I taught third grade first, and it was wonderful. Then, I was going to go to first grade, and I had the room painted and everything. Greg Holder came down to where I was setting up my room before school started. He asked if I was interested in teaching kindergarten as he had an opening. Having just painted the room, I asked if I could think about it. He no longer gave me the OK and started walking out, and I told him I would do it. I was a quick sale. He knew I’d always wanted to be with the little ones.”
Now retired, Thompson reflects on the years she spent shaping young minds. As she flips through her collection of classroom keepsakes, she proudly holds up a picture of a bunch of grapes — each “grape” a student’s photo.
“When they graduate, I take a picture of their bunch of grapes and give it to them,” Thompson said. “Most of them remember the grapes and were very excited to get theirs. There was never a time I did not want to go to school. I loved being a teacher. And I loved just trying to plant little seeds.”
And planting seeds is exactly what she did — especially seeds of kindness. More than anything, Thompson wanted her students to leave her classroom with compassion for others.
“That was my main thing: that we had to care for one another,” added Thompson.
Among her keepsakes is a paper cutout with a Helen Keller quote that her students would read aloud each day:
“Every day, in every way, I will show kindness to others. I am only one, but I am still one. I cannot do everything, but I can still do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.”
She also gave them kindness assignments to complete outside the classroom.
“They had to show kindness to some- body, like their bus driver, the mailman, or someone at Walmart,” Thompson explained. “Even if it was just a smile, it might be the only smile they get, and it could change their world.”
In her retirement, Thompson stays busy visiting local retirement homes with her daughter and cherishing time with her grandchildren. She also keeps in touch with many of her former students.
“I stay in contact with several of my former students,” she said excitedly. “One is my neighbor, and others I see in town and at different things. I love for them to share their memories of school with me. They are always welcome to come up to me and say hello. Each of my students brought me so much joy and continues to do so.” GN
