The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

F.E. Miley's First Grade Students were greeted by a new face when they showed up to class at the for the beginning of the school year. Long time Big Sandy resident, Renee Leader, stepped in to fill the role left by Mrs. Hanson. Katie Hanson shifted from full time teaching to a slot on the substitute teaching roster.

Renee came out of retirement this year to help care for the needs of our first graders. The move came after a change in the teachers' retirement system, which allows teachers to return to teaching in schools that meet certain pay scale requirements, while drawing retirement benefits."

After a 25-year career of teaching kindergarten and first grade students at Rocky Boy Elementary, Renee worked at Stone Child teaching Methods for Education. In that setting, she realized that she wanted to return to teaching younger students. "I decided I wanted to be back in the classroom. So I went back in, and it has been good." She went on to explain that after 25 years of teaching students, she simply missed the kids and wanted to return to the work she loves. Renee worked at Rocky Boy for 20 years. Before coming to Big Sandy, she also taught in Whitewater for 3 years and Malta for 2 years. Along the way, she also taught third and fourth grades, as well as a brief period of teaching second grade.

Despite devoting decades to educating children, Renee did not set out to be a teacher. "I was going to be a physical therapist, but... inflicting pain. I can't inflict pain on people. So, I decided to go into my second choice. I decided to be a teacher. She earned her degree in teaching from Jamestown College in North Dakota. Later, she received her Masters degree from Lesley University at Cambridge through a cohort program, where they came to Havre for one weekend a month. Over the course of 2 years, she earned her Masters Degree.

Renee explained that she enjoys teaching in Big Sandy. "I really like it. It's nice to be able to walk to work. I like the kids. They are well behaved." She also explained that she has been enjoying the culture. She explained that F.E. Miley has "...a different culture at the school and a different learning style. By different, I mean I've been at the same place for 20 years. It's different getting to know people in my community. I worked outside of Big Sandy. It was a bedroom community for me for the longest time even though I had kids, and it's been nice to get to know people on a different level."

The Leaders moved to Big Sandy from Malta in 2000 when she and her husband took teaching positions at Rocky Boy. "We both had teaching jobs at Rocky Boy Elementary, and we needed a place to live. "

In her free time Renee enjoys fishing and golfing with her husband. She is also an avid reader, with an interest in a variety of topics. "I read a quite a bit. I have to read myself to sleep every night. I read lots of different books." She expressed interest in books on history and brain function.

Regarding her plans for teaching in Big Sandy, Renee explained that she's unsure about the length of her stay as an F.E. Miley teacher, because under the terms of the retirement system, the position will need to be advertised every year. She can continue to work until the position is filled.