“Called To Be A Teacher”
Words and music by Sally Svenson
with Mrs. Smith’s 4th Grade Class
©2023 Sally Svenson
In Nebraska her folks were living
She was born on Thanksgiving
Autumn’s always been her favorite time of year
Her childhood days and memories
Reveal a life with joy a plenty
And her days in school would frame her future career
Chorus:
Called to be a teacher
All those years it pleased her
Students, books and papers
Many busy days at school
Lessons planned and given
Helping all those children
Language, Math and learning
Every educational rule…and tool
She’d walk to school about a mile
With hometown friends; it took a while
Everyone brought a lunch from home and ate it at their desk
Used an ink well and a fountain pen
To practice cursive once again
And if she had a question, she raised her hand to ask
Chorus
She wrote letters to her fiancé
Only way to keep in touch those days
A soldier in the Korean War: she longed to have him home
He made it back and they were married
Had two children in a baby carriage
Settled at a ranch in South Dakota, no longer to roam
In her twenty-five years of teaching
Many young ones she was reaching
With a strong desire to help them learn and see their faces beam
Words of wisdom she still shares
It shows that she truly cares
Eat healthy, make wise choices and work hard for your dreams
Chorus
Getting to know our friend Diane Vondra Bishop has been enjoyable and filled with interesting life experiences and some very important words of wisdom. Diane Vondra Bishop was born on November 26th, 1936 (Thanksgiving Day that year) in Lincoln, Nebraska. Her parents were Leonard and Glaydeth Vondra. A few years later, her younger brother David, joined the family. Her early years were filled with the usual chores like doing the dishes and helping with laundry (very different from today) and caring for her pets (mostly dogs and bunnies). Life was filled with the challenges of growing up during the Depression years and then World War II, and she shared that as a young girl she was very shy and was fearful of two things…the dark and of getting lost. We found that using baking soda for toothpaste and not having a TV until high school were very different from nowadays! Other differences included school supplies like pens dipped in ink, desks and chairs hooked together, and a misbehave corner. She also brought her lunch to school every day, and they ate in their classroom! School also meant walking a mile and went from 9 o’clock in the morning until 3 o’clock in the afternoon. One thing that’s still the same is that we start our day with The Pledge of Allegiance too! Recess games like hopscotch, Jacks, and jumping rope were popular in those days.
During high school Diane met and began dating Darrel Bishop. He would go off to the Korean War and they would write letters back and forth for three long years as there were no cell phones back then. She would start college, majoring in nursing first, but soon changed to teaching. She taught for three years, and she and Darrel married and started having their family (daughter Jodi and son Alan).
After moving to Ohio and back to Nebraska, it was in 1968 that they moved to South Dakota. They first started ranching near Eagle Butte and later moved to the Hermosa area. Diane was a busy ranch wife and teacher (taught for 25 years). During those years she had many favorites like the Thanksgiving Holiday and cheering for the Nebraska Husker Football Team (Go Big Red)! Other favorites she shared include her 1995 red Ford Mustang, all things autumn, chocolate ice cream, and most of all helping her students learn. She did happen to share a funny story involving a squirrel, but still being a bit on the shy side, you’ll have to ask her son about that! On a more serious note, Diane wanted us to know that the truly important things in life are to eat healthy, stay away from drugs and alcohol, and have your dreams but more than just having a dream…work hard at it! Become the best you possible!! Don’t just think about it…get out there and make it happen! Precious words of wisdom from one special lady called to be a teacher…and still teaching!