Jan Olson spent 37 years teaching in Luverne Public Schools, primarily sixth-grade English, and recently decided to retire.
“It wasn’t until this past summer that I decided it was the right time to retire,” she said. “Everyone always told me I would know when the time was right — it just seemed like the time was now.”
Childhood experiences as an elementary student in Excelsior influenced Olson’s career choice.
“My mom was a sixth-grade teacher for 25 years, and I would help her get her classroom ready every year. I helped her correct papers, and even got to attend field trips with her classes,” she recalled.
“I played school a lot in our basement and my dad would always tease me that teaching was in my blood. I never really thought about any other career growing up — at a very young age I knew I wanted to be a teacher.”
After graduating from Minnetonka High School, Olson attended Bemidji State University, majoring in elementary education with minors in criminal justice and psychology.
She later earned a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from South Dakota State University, Brookings.
She began teaching in Luverne in 1983.
“I taught at Luverne Public Schools my entire career — 37 years, all in sixth grade, all in the same room, 215, except for 10 years when I was the curriculum director and alternative school director for the district,” she said.
Her stint as alternative school director brought the most rewards as a teacher.
“Everyone that attended the school — which was located off campus — back then were like a family,” she said.
“They watched out for each other. They helped each other, worked hard, and put in the time required to graduate as confident, proud young men and women.”
Olson emphasized one lesson to the almost 3,000 students she instructed over almost four decades.
“One lesson I hope my students learn after high school is to take initiative in their own life,” she said.
“Do more than is required of you, think as a team member, speak up and share your ideas, consider every opportunity, be prepared, and be respectful.”
As a new teacher in Luverne in 1983, Olson said she appreciated the mentors who helped her settle into her career, and through the decades she passed on her knowledge to incoming colleagues.
“I feel like they kept me young and inspired me to create new and challenging materials for my students,” she said. “The best was when we had one of the young new teachers live with us for a year.”
The teachers shared a common goal: to have students grow into caring, responsible and charitable adults.
No one shared that goal more than her future husband.
Olson met her husband, Loel, on the job when he taught down the hall from her at Luverne Middle School. The couple married in 1986.
“I didn’t wear my engagement ring right way in an attempt to avoid never-ending questions of a fifth- and sixth-grader,” she said.
“I learned recently from Mrs. Lais (Kari was a LMS student at the time) that all the kids knew we were dating and I wasn’t hiding anything from them.”
Loel retired a year ago, and the Olsons say they plan to see more of their three children — Zach (Stacey), Paige and Gunnar.
Jan said it makes sense that their retirements would be so close together.
“After all, Loel and I taught in the same district for 36 years together, we taught in the same hallway during the earlier years, ended up teaching at the same grade level in later years, attended conferences together, sat in many meetings together, spent open house nights and conference nights together, went on field trips together, rode to work every day, so when he decided to retire, I did as well,” she said.
“Now we can spend our retirement years together, too.”
In addition to continuing with her consignment items in Sioux Falls, she wants to travel, relax, read for pleasure and spend time with family and old friends.
“This may be the end of my teaching career, but I feel I’m at the beginning of something new,” she said.