BRANDYWINE — When Kristie Satterfield was a young child, she wasn’t the biggest fan of school. Because of that, she became a teacher. Her goal was to help make sure other kids had a better experience in the classroom than she did as a young child. For years Satterfield has been a Brandywine Elementary School Bulldog through and through — one who is coming to the end of a distinguished teaching career when she retires at the end of the school year next week.
Satterfield, 56, has been at BWES for 26 years, teaching mostly fourth and fifth graders. Prior to coming to Indiana, she taught in Ohio after she found it difficult to find a teaching position in her home state of Pennsylvania where jobs in education were scarce back in the late 80s and early 90s.
When her husband had a job opportunity in Indiana, Satterfield welcomed the move and landed at BWES, a place she said she never wanted to leave and won’t until the end of this year when she takes early retirement.
“I’ve never been one of those people who has regretted their profession,” Satterfield said. “I love teaching, my position here and feel like I was well suited to be a teacher.”
From leading the school’s Spell Bowl team, which produced state championships, to helping part time with the school’s running club, Satterfield has been an involved teacher who has made education fun for her students.
“Just wherever the school needed me, I’ve tried to help out and even being a team leader,” Satterfield said.
That includes being the school’s union representative.
Now, Satterfield is wanting to take some time for herself and delve into one of her hobbies — artwork. She also plans to spend more time with her parents and do some traveling with her husband.
“I am taking an early retirement because I feel like I have some gifts, some things I’d like to explore,” Satterfield said. “I’ve always been very focused on school and being a teacher for my classes, but it’s time for me to go do some other things I have not explored yet.”
Satterfield’s unwavering commitment to empowering students and fostering a nurturing learning environment has left an indelible mark on Brandywine Elementary, her principal Austin Theobald said.
“It is with a bittersweet heart that we bid farewell to this incredible educator,” Theobald said. “Losing someone of Kristie’s caliber is no easy task as her experience and expertise have been instrumental in shaping the lives of our students and the development of our staff.”
Satterfield fought back tears and paused before saying that her priority for nearly 30 years has been her students, giving them every bit of energy nearly 24/7, and now she wants to focus on something for herself and her husband.
“I feel now is the time to explore some of my other gifts before I get too old and have to retire, or like some of my friends who have worked so hard and then have gotten sick,” Satterfield said. “I love my relationship with the kids and I’m truly going to miss that.”
While Satterfield knows saying so long to the students after so many years of making them a priority in her life is going to be difficult, she wants to explore life outside of the classroom.
“We live just a few minutes from this school building after moving into my school community, so I want to go beyond this area and explore to see what else is out there,” Satterfield said.
Satterfield noted she did not start the school year thinking this would be her last year of teaching but, as the year went on, retirement kept crossing her mind.
“I can do it and at some point I was going to have to make a decision so I decided now was the time,” Satterfield said. “My parents are not getting any younger, and I needed to be able to be free and travel to see them when they need me so that was a part of this.”
She also wants to put on her chef’s hat and do a little more cooking and test out some of those recipes she’s been saving on her family.
“I love to cook and my husband loves to eat, so we’re a good match,” she said with a laugh. “I’ll have some time to really get into cooking recipes because I am part Italian, and with teaching you really just don’t have the time because, for me, I always came home from work tired.”
The one thing Satterfield said she will do is keep all of her options open and may even at some point go back to college to continue her education beyond the masters degree she already earned from Union University.
“If I go back, it would be for my doctorate in education,” she said. “It’s just one of those many options I can actually consider. There are so many things now that I can finally do.”
Satterfield won’t completely leave behind her beloved Bulldogs. She plans to help out and be a part of the HOST reading program to help children learn how to better read when she can.
“I’m a Bulldog at heart and I always will be,” Satterfield said. “We’re the little school that could and I’ll always believe in this school.”
Theobald noted as Satterfield embarks on her well-deserved retirement, everyone at the building is reminded of the profound impact she has made on the school.
“We extend our heartfelt gratitude for her exceptional leadership and countless contributions to the Brandywine community,” he said.
