CARNDUFF - Betty Henger has spent most of her life in school.
She entered the world in Oxbow, the second of four children. Her childhood years were lived on a farm north of Glen Ewen. That largely shaped her life. She learned responsibility, independence, the value of hard work and acquired a life-long love for animals.
After graduating from Glen Ewen’s school, she headed off to Teachers’ College in Regina for a year and then the University of Regina. At 19, she began teaching in Carnduff. Her first class, Grade 5, consisted of 24 boys and one girl. When summer came, she took more bachelor of education courses.
After several summers, she received her degree from the universities of Regina and Calgary.
Following her first year in Carnduff, she taught in Glen Ewen for two years, but aspired to further educate herself. She took a year off, returning to Regina to get her bachelor of arts. Then it was back to Carnduff, where she taught high school science and math. She also coached golf, basketball and volleyball and helped out with the drama program.
She still had the itch for more education. After five years, she was back to Regina, earning her masters. While there, she worked as a seasonal professor at the university. When asked about being a professor, she answers, “I much preferred teaching high school kids than university students. They’re unpredictable and fun.”
As she was working on her master’s thesis, she worked for Katimavik, a youth experience program that gave young people an opportunity to work in areas across Canada while seeing various parts of the country.
She enjoyed this experience, but still had a heart that beat for teaching. She left Katimavik to teach in Ceylon. A year later, Henger became a principal in Gladmar.
Four years later, in 1985, her father’s failing health played a factor in her decision to return to Carnduff and help her mother care for him. She went back to teaching.
“I preferred teaching. I enjoyed helping students learn from the mistakes that teens are prone to make as they mature. As a principal, I had to work with teachers and parents and the mistakes they made. Mistakes where they should have known better,” she said.
Carnduff turned out to be her final gig. Sixteen years later, she retired but subbed when needed, until COVID-19 hit in 2020. Living in Prairie View Villa, she didn’t want to risk bringing COVID to the seniors who lived there.
That closed the book on 55 years of teaching. She looks back at teaching three generations with fondness. Once, while president of the Carnduff Golf Club, she looked at the board members around the table, and realized that several of them were former students of hers.
She takes pride in initiating Carnduff’s high school work-experience program, where many young people found their career calling. She relishes moments when she helped students resolve potential clashes, such as the time she physically restrained a student from attacking a principal, preventing further disciplinary consequences.
“I treated all students with respect and as equal, despite social and reputational differences,” she said.
She enjoys meeting former students. They occasionally joke that they made her the good teacher that she was. Henger never married but when asked if she has any children, she is quick to reply, “Yes, I have a 1,000 of them. My students.”
Henger keeps busy in her retirement, although a bad knee has slowed her down. She golfs, enjoys making puzzles and she still educates herself by reading. She loves geocaching, a hi-tech scavenger hunt that has taken her to 10 provinces, 41 states and Iceland. She’s planning on taking in a geocaching cruise this fall along the Danube River.
Now in her mid-70’s, life is anything but boring.
Does she miss teaching? “No,” she said.
Henger doesn’t miss dealing with the cell phone issues, changing family dynamics and the ‘me-first’ attitude that many of today’s teachers face. She feels that teachers’ hands are increasingly tied as they face the various situations that arise.
