Starting & Ending at Moreland: Sally Armstrong

Stories like this happen thanks to our members. Join now to support neighborhood news.

Sally Armstrong started in Moreland Elementary School in West St. Paul when it opened in 1964 as a sixth grader. She’ll retire at the end of the month after 32 years as Moreland’s gym teacher.

“I just have this little time loop right here, it’s very bizarre,” said Armstrong.

Armstrong lives in West St. Paul with her husband. They have two grown children and one granddaughter. Armstrong has taught at Moreland since 1991 and coached tennis for 26 years. She’s looking forward to time at her lake home and, most of all, time with her granddaughter.

Retirement Plans

“I always said if I get a grandchild I will be out that door,” Armstrong said. Her granddaughter is two months old and Armstrong will be taking care of her full time starting in April.

But that’s the only reason she’s leaving: “If I didn’t have a granddaughter I would still continue to work—despite the fact that my knees are killing me—because I do adore this that much,” Armstrong said.

Even at 70?: “I don’t feel any different than I always have,” Armstrong said. “I’ve been doing this since 1980 when I first started. I’ve been on my feet moving around constantly every day. I haven’t shrunk. My husband has shrunk.”

What will she miss the most:

• “The faces of the children, the relationship with the children,” Armstrong said. “You do not do this job unless you adore children.”
• “It’s the kids. They’re fabulous. Absolutely fabulous,” she said. “This area is filled with hard working families that teach their children to respect what they have. Nobody ruins our stuff, my things fall apart long before they get wrecked because they’re old and they get used up. Our students are very grateful, they’re very thankful for what they have.”

What she won’t miss: “I will not miss the schlepping,” Armstrong said. There’s no shortage of setup for a gym teacher. “Sometimes I say my job isn’t really teaching, it’s just schlepping objects around in the building, out of the building, up and down the field, up the sidewalk.”

Favorite memories:

• “A child looking at me and saying, ‘This is the best day of my life!’ and we’re playing with pool noodles,” Armstrong said.
• “I ran into a kindergartener at Target. She clutched her clothing at her neck, backed up and said, ‘This is highly unusual,'” Armstrong said, recalling one of the best teacher-out-of-school interactions.

Changes Throughout the Years

Armstrong started school during a time of change in ISD 197. After two years at Garlough, she was part of the “Central Elementary School” housed at the old Sibley High School. She spent second grade in Sibley on the top floor of D section. Third, fourth, and fifth grade moved to the top corner of Grass Junior High.

“I was only in second grade, but I appreciated the architecture—the slate chalkboards, wooden floors, and creaky stairs,” Armstrong said.

When Moreland opened in 1964, Armstrong was part of the first sixth grade class.

“Everything was brand new,” Armstrong said, “But it wasn’t done outside. There were mounds of dirt and no playground, no equipment, nothing. If you walked up to the front of the building, there were cows across the street. There was a little bit of a farm left, and the cows would come to the fence and moo at the students.”

In high school, Armstrong reported on construction of the new Henry Sibley High School for the school paper, but she graduated in 1971, the last class to graduate from Sibley High School.

How has Moreland changed?

• When Armstrong came back to Moreland to teach in 1988, initially as a substitute, not much had changed. “It was identical,” she said. “My teacher was still here. So it was interesting to be a teacher in the same spot that my teacher was in.”
• Since 1988 it’s changed a lot, especially as education has shifted from classroom instruction to more individualized learning.
• The most recent remodel added a cafeteria, which meant Armstrong no longer lost half her gym to lunch time.

How has teaching changed?

• Classrooms: “If you take a look at [the picture above] this is what we did—we sat in rows and look at how many kids there were,” Armstrong said. “We have gone to more individualized learning, we’ve gone to flexible seating. If you look in any classroom, I don’t think you’ll find one with desks in rows.”
• Learning: “Kids don’t need to memorize anymore. Kids need to think,” Armstrong said. “Google is one thing. Your kids can Google the answer, so ask a different question. Well, what if they can AI the whole thing? So education is changing.”
• More: “I feel for these kids,” Armstrong said. “It’s just they have so much more [to learn].” She points to the increasing knowledge base they need to know, though overall she sees education changing for the better.

How has teaching gym changed?

• The old: “Back then it was red rubber ball dodgeball, which we don’t do,” Armstrong said. “I am not doing the antique fitness testing—we don’t do that anymore.”
• The new: “We look more at social/emotional interaction. Are they respectful to their classmates? Do they possess some cooperation and sportsmanship?” Armstrong said. “I try the very best I can to introduce new things all the time. I’ve gone from the basic sports at the beginning to a ton of lifetime activities.”
• Equity: “In 1971, women didn’t have a lot of choices,” Armstrong said. “In my particular field, I’m pre-Title IX,”—referring to the 1972 federal civil rights law that banned gender-based discrimination in education and had a huge impact on women’s sports. “I’m doing a basketball unit and the kids ask, ‘Did you play basketball?’ No, I didn’t play basketball because I was a girl. And they’re incensed. And I go with it. It’s changed, but even now we’re still not where we need to be.” And it continues to change. During a recent volleyball unit she pointed out that it’s broadening for everyone as there’s now a state-sanctioned boys volleyball league.

Finding a Love for Teaching

“Gym has changed quite a bit from when I was a student,” Armstrong said. “Although I do have to say that it was in this particular gym that I realized I loved what was going on and I might want to do that.”

• The push of a teacher: It was during the long jump when Armstrong managed a 13.5-foot jump and her teacher complimented her asked how she did it. “And so with that, I thought, ‘Well, maybe this is something I like,” Armstrong said.
• Why elementary: “You get to elementary and know you shouldn’t be anywhere else,” Armstrong said. “I don’t know if a high school kid would go up to their teacher and say ‘this the best day of my life’ because you’re playing with pool noodles.”
• Fun and exciting: “They’re little sponges,” she explained. “They can pick it up and everything is fun. Nothing is a drag. Nothing is boring. It’s always fun and exciting.”

A Good Reason to Retire

“I have been telling the kids I’m retiring. It’s hard. There have been tears,” Armstrong said. “It’s difficult because I can still do my job. I like it.” But she’s waited for a granddaughter for a long time. “So yes, that is a good reason to retire.”

Neighborhood news with no paywall? You can thank our members. Join now to keep your community informed.