27 years of school

By TRACY CHESNEY
Herald-Banner Staff

May 05, 2008 05:30 pm

— Barbara Carmichael has been going to school for 27 years, and she wouldn’t imagine it any other way.
The office manager at Discover School, Carmichael started working at the school when she was 27 years old.
“I’ll never forget the day I came here,” she said. “The school had only been open two weeks, and when I walked in, I saw the owner, Brenda Simms, sitting on the floor (in a pile of paper work).
“I told her I was looking for a job,” she said. “She said that she only had a part-time job and it was mine if I wanted it.”
After working with the 2-year-olds for two weeks, Carmichael said she became a full-time employee. She taught the 2-year-olds until the late 1980s then became the 3-year-olds’ teacher.
“There isn’t anything in this building I haven’t done,” she said. “I’ve cooked lunch, drove the van and took the kids on field trips.”
Carmichael was offered the job as office manager 10 years ago.
“That was a hard choice because all I do now is work in the office,” she said. “But I’m still with the kids and get to see them in the morning (when they arrive) and in the afternoon (when they leave).
“I take care of the school, the teachers and the kids. The main thing I do, however, is trying to keep the parents, kids and teachers happy.”
Growing up in a large family, Carmichael was used to being around kids and even baby-sat children in high school.
“(Being around children) is the only thing I wanted to do,” she said. “I always wanted to be a teacher, and I know that this is where I’m supposed to be.”
Carmichael said the most rewarding part of her job is that the school has taught several generations.
“It’s great to see my former 2-year-olds (who are now grown) bringing their kids here,” she said. “I’ve been told that we taught our kids well. It makes your heart so big that it feels like it’s going to jump out of your chest — just to know you did that for the kids. We’re still using same material and it’s still going strong.”
Carmichael said that Simms sold the building to Raj and Alk Sethi two years ago.
“They’re really sweet, and they said they wouldn’t change anything about the school — that Discovery School will stay the same,” she said.
Carmichael said that the school has 15 teachers and 194 students.
“We consider ourselves a big family, and we work together as a team,” she said. “It’s not just one person that did anything. We all work together.”
Carmichael favorite moment is the memory of her daughter.
“My daughter, Hope Green, grew up here since she was 2 years old,” she said. “Now, she’s teaching here, and she’s bringing her son, Hayden, here.
“Having my grandson here makes me feel old, but I wouldn’t have him any other place because I know what this school means.”
Carmichael said that the best part of her life is her husband Guy of 32 years.
“He’s as much as part of Discovery School as I am,” she said. “He knows how important this school is to me. He’s a truck driver, and when he’s in town, he’ll drive the big bus for me. He tells everyone that the Discovery School is her life because I’ve been here so long.
“The kids love him as much as they do me. The kids call him, “Pa Paw, and I’m just called ‘Carmichael.’”
Carmichael said that children that grew up in that school still stop by and say “hi.”
“I know in my heart how the kids can benefit from being here,” she said. “(What makes them remember us) is showing them that you care about them and love them. They are somebody, and they are important.”
Carmichael said she has no plans to leave the school where she grew up with the kids.
“I know that this is where God intends for me to be,” she said. “Every morning before I walk into this school, I ask the Lord to bless this place.”

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