Robin Beebe refreshes the STRS board on some important life's lessons

Robin Beebe's speech to STRS

June 21, 2024  

My name is Robin Beebe. Retired teacher of 4th Graders, Kindergartners, a smattering of other elementary grades, and eight summers of Migrant Education. Fremont City Schools and Perrysburg Schools. 35 years. I retired in 2009 and thus, I have been retired for 15 years now.

I have spent 2/3rds of my teaching career down in “Kinderland” as I fondly call it. It is a very magical place, indeed, full of wonder, discovery and joy. Lucky me!

I think we can all find some insights and truths from Robert Fulghum’s classic book, All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten. I want to share some parts of his Credo to inspire and support the Reform Board in your efforts to implement meaningful change as you move forward.

“ All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten.”

“These are the things I learned:

Share everything.

Play fair.

Don’t hit people

Put things back where you found them.

Clean up your own mess.

Don’t take things that aren’t yours.

Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.

Wash your hands before you eat.

Flush.

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

(See Suzanne Laird for the cookies….)

Live a balanced life – learn some and think some and draw and paint

and sing and dance and play and work every day some.

Take a nap every afternoon. (But not during STRS Board Meetings.)

When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and

stick together.

….And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you
learned - the biggest word of all – (L-O-O-K) LOOK.

Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply to your family life or your work (STRS Reform Board work) or your government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm.

And it is still true, no matter how old you are – when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.”

So….strive to continue to Stick Together Reform Board Members. We all (L-O-O-K) LOOK for great things to happen!!!

P.S. I finally did the painful mathematical calculations and figured out what my lack of receiving my full 3% COLA's has amounted to from 2013 through 2024. I am compelled to share this dollar amount with you today. The reality is a six figure loss of $101,000.00 and counting....

                    HOLY TOLEDO!!!