Marilou Nellor was born to teach.
Almost literally.
At the time she was born, her mother was working as a secretary to the superintendent of a small district on the north Oregon coast, where her father taught English and journalism. Her birth was announced during a school board meeting because the board president was also the doctor who helped deliver her.
“As far as a career, I never wanted to do anything but teach,” Nellor said. “I like working with kids. That’s why I kept coming back.”
Nellor retired this summer after 46 years of teaching, all with Battle Ground Public Schools. She did her student teaching in Vancouver Public Schools, hoping to land a job not far from home. But the district wasn’t hiring when she was first starting out so she ended up at the former Lewisville Intermediate School, where she spent four years before moving to her room at Laurin Middle School. She remained in that same classroom for the next 42 years, teaching eighth grade history and English.
“I remember when computers first came out,” she said. “I found a store that would give me their old computers and lined them up in the room so kids could type on them because I knew that’s where the world was going.”
Today, students bring sophisticated electronic devices to school in their pockets. But even with the advances in technology, Nellor said the kids themselves have largely remained the same.
“Used to be they were hiding magazines or passing notes,” she said. “The problems take different forms now, but the kids are pretty much the same.”
That’s not to say things haven’t changed. People are busier, less connected to their community and the subjects she teaches have grown in complexity and difficulty. Technology has also made her job easier, improving access to information and the ability to provide materials for her lessons.
“I think the district has grown and gotten more sophisticated too,” she said. “I think there’s a higher level on the administrative side than what it used to be. More dedicated.”
What goes around, comes around
At some point, any teacher who has been in the same place long enough will find themselves teaching multiple generations. One former student, Luke LeCount, eventually became a student teacher in Nellor’s classroom, then a fellow eighth grade teacher at Laurin. After some time in Vancouver Public Schools as a principal, LeCount recently returned to Battle Ground as the director of instructional learning in charge of middle schools.
“Ms. Nellor influenced my approach to classroom teaching more than any other person in my life,” LeCount said. “She provided ongoing guidance and encouragement as I learned how to create meaningful lessons, deliver instruction and manage a classroom.”
LeCount said Nellor has never sought the spotlight or to showcase her own accomplishments, but she was always a calm voice of reason for educators at Laurin who “treated every person fairly and cared deeply for the student she taught.”
“I’ve taught alongside maybe four or five kids that were in my classroom,” Nellor said. “The kids don’t relate to me the same way they did when I was 25, but there’s still that interaction of working with a kid and then having that lightbulb go off. I’ll miss that.”
She didn’t quite get to the point of teaching the grandkids of any former students, but she came close. One of her very first students visited earlier this year and mentioned his granddaughter was entering sixth grade.
“I think that would have been really cool to experience,” Nellor said, “but I’m ready to retire.”
Advice to future educators
Nellor isn’t one to tell others what to do, but her advice to incoming teachers was to love the people you’re teaching more than the subject.
“There are people who maybe are passionate about a certain subject, but I think really good teachers also have a passion for the kids,” Nellor said. “Some of them may have a lot of struggles at home, but we can create a little haven for them here. If you give them boundaries and mutual respect, show them that you really care, they’ll do almost anything for you.”
Honoring our 2023 retirees
Nellor is among a group of nearly four dozen dedicated Battle Ground Public School employees retiring this year, comprising a total of 1,051 years of service within our district alone. We wish each of them the best and our heartfelt appreciation for many years of dedication to helping our students succeed.