For 51 years, Ruthie Roth of Morton has been a staple of education in Central Illinois and has seen many changes along the way in how teachers present their lessons and how students absorb the information.

Roth taught junior-senior English classes and French at Morton High School for 46 years and was head of the English and speech departments.

For the first five years of her career, Roth taught English and French at Eureka High School and was the school librarian.

She was this year’s recipient of the Eureka College Lifetime Alumni Award.

A retirement celebration in August recognized Roth’s five decades of teaching.

Roth said the dinner was an opportunity to catch up with former students, parents and church members whom she has interacted with throughout the years.

“It was a great time and a good turnout and nice to see all of my former kids who are doing well and thankful for our time together,” Roth said.

She added state Sen. Dan Rutherford (R–Pontiac) was a surprise attendee at the party, as Rutherford and her husband, Don, became good friends while Don was the mayor of Morton for eight years.

Roth said she keeps up with many of her former pupils, and just last weekend, a dozen of them had asked if they could come over for a visit to catch up.

“It was a wonderful surprise and we made food and played music and games,” Roth said.

Roth said technology has changed education a great deal over the last several decades, along with the increasingly busy schedule of teenagers.

“With most of them holding down jobs and involved in extracurricular activities, they don’t have as much time for school work, but I guess the computers help with that sometimes,” she added.

Roth said as head of the English department, she spent most of her time preparing students for college.

“I tried to cover every possible level and all the bases they might encounter when reaching higher education, from creative writing to novels and speech,” she said.

Roth and her husband also created the dinner theater program at the high school, directing the music and making the sets for 15 productions.

The latest production was “Little Women” in November 2007.

“Most of them have been sellouts, and I think everyone does a beautiful job and really puts their heart into it,” she added.

For every year she has been teaching, the couple has also volunteered for the Illinois Mennonite Relief Sale through their church, First Mennonite of Morton.

At church, Roth serves as secretary and is involved with the worship commission, bell choir and playing the piano.

“We live right across the street from our church, so I think that was a blessing that we found the right place for our talents and faith,” Roth said.

Roth said there is a high caliber of teachers at Morton High School, and more than 90 percent of their students go on to attend college.

“I think the community plays a big part as well, because so many parents in Morton are heavily involved in the education system and supporting the schools,” Roth added.

Roth said she will continue after her retirement to be a part of the school district by offering to substitute teach and staying involved with the theater productions.

“Teaching is a joy and the Lord has been very good to us, so I think I was put here to serve other people and help others and will continue to do so,” Roth added.

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