“Superhero” Teachers Retire Their Capes
Mrs. Amy Anderson and Mr. Dave Gable retire this year, having influenced students in not only their Dallastown classrooms but also through their extra-curricular activities.
June 1, 2022
As the Class of 2022 prepares for graduation, several DHS teachers are also packing up their classrooms for the last time.
The Beacon sat down with English teacher and Musical Director Mrs. Anderson and science teacher and head wrestling coach Mr. Gable to talk about their years at Dallastown, what they remember most, and what they will be doing in their retirement.
Gable: “I’ll miss most the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives.”
As the 2021 – 2022 school year comes to an end, Dallastown students will have to say goodbye to many things.
This year students will be saying goodbye to the wrestling wonder and Biology braniac we know as Mr. Gable.
In 1989, Gable joined the Dallastown family as a Biology teacher and currently teaches CCR Biology classes A, B, and C.
After 10 years of working here, Mr. Gable fell in love with one of the Algebra teachers that we now know as Mrs. Gable.
“We met at Dallastown mainly through my sister Miss. Gable,” he said. “I was a tag along on their outings.”
Since they got married, Dallastown has gotten used to having three teachers that share the last name of Gable: Mr. Gable and his wife, as well as Mr. Gable’s sister Miss. Gable.
“I will miss him being here everyday,” said his wife, Mrs. Gable. “We don’t do the day to day stuff together here,” she explained. “But it will still be weird not having him here everyday.”
Although they don’t see each other very much while at school, Mr. and Mrs. Gable have been able to watch each other grow in their careers.
“I have seen him develop closer relationships with his students and athletes over the years,” Mrs. Gable noted. “He accepts and cares about all people and I think that shows in his teaching style.”
In his 33 years of teaching, Mr. Gable has never dreaded coming to work. As a teacher he has learned so many important lessons regarding students and their needs.
“What we teach isn’t nearly as important as how we interact with the students,” he stated. “Each student is different, there is never a “one size fits all” approach to teaching.”
Along with teaching biology Mr. Gable is also known for his involvement in the high School’s wrestling program, which he got involved in at the start of his career in 1989.
“I became the Head Varsity Coach during my 1st year of teaching,” he said. “I was head Varsity Coach for 25 years, Head Junior High Coach 4 years, and Director of Youth Wrestling 4 years.”
As a coach, Mr. Gable was able to learn more about his students and has allowed him to understand more about them.
“It has given me the opportunity to see students in an area of interest outside of the classroom,” he stated. “It also gave me an opportunity to get to know the students at a greater level due to the amount of time spent together.”
Mr. Gable will leave a lasting impact on Dallastown and its students, and is able to walk away with some everlasting memories.
“I think I will miss most the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of people,” he noted. “In my opinion, we have one of the rare occupations that provides a daily chance to make someone’s life better in both the present and the future.”
Teaching has also allowed Mr. Gable to become closer to other Dallastown staff members, and connect with them.
“I will also greatly miss the staff here at Dallastown who I greatly respect and cherish their friendship and support.”
Anderson Closes the Cover on Teaching: “My favorite part? The kids. 100%.”
Many children say they want to become teachers, but few follow through on it. Mrs. Amy Anderson, DHS English teacher, is one of those few. She is currently in her 38th, and final, year of teaching.
Anderson has always wanted to be a teacher.
“If I was in kindergarten, I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher. If I was in first grade, I wanted to be a first-grade teacher,” she said.
She decided on high school but then had to choose which subject to teach.
“I always loved a good story. I always loved to read. I started as a French major but realized I wasn’t grasping the language, so I switched to English,” Anderson said.
She went on to get a Bachelor’s degree in English education, and a Master’s degree in Reading, both from Shippensburg University.
After college, Anderson secured a job at Red Lion High School, where she taught English for 18 years, but she also coached JV Field Hockey, oversaw the school newspaper, and directed their musicals.
In 2002, Anderson applied for a similar position, but at Dallastown. She received the job and has been here since. This is her 20th year teaching at Dallastown, and she has made a huge impact on life here.
Senior Caroline Loughlin is currently taking AP Lit and Honors Plays and Playwrights with Anderson and speaks highly of her.
“My favorite part about Mrs. Anderson is the way she teaches content. [She teaches] in a fun way where learning the content isn’t boring but fun and entertaining,” Loughlin says.
But, as at Red Lion, teaching English isn’t the only thing Anderson does here. She was Dallastown’s Senior Class Advisor for ten years and is currently a musical director.
Outside of her duties at school, Anderson also enjoys traveling, spending time with her family, going to local theater productions, and reading.
So what is Anderson’s favorite part of her job?
“The kids. 100%,” she said. Many of her students could say the same about her. Laughlin appreciates Anderson for her dedication to helping her students become better versions of themselves saying,
“Mrs. Anderson has helped me become a better person by pushing me to always do my best work. Whenever we turn in assignments she always comments on them to help [us] improve. She knows when we can put more effort into something than we did.”
So what is Anderson’s least favorite part of her job?
“The jobs we have to do that are not related to teaching. So, the paperwork…the administrative tasks that aren’t directly related to the classroom,” she says. She doesn’t, however, let the worst parts of her job stop her from making class enjoyable for her students.
Siya Patel, junior, had Anderson for Honors English ll during her sophomore year.
“I enjoyed the class because Mrs. Anderson made literature a fun subject. I enjoyed reading short stories and the poetry she chose for each person…Mrs. Anderson is more creative and fun. She had the skill to make boring assignments more creative. She has been an inspiration, her skills have been exemplary. We will all miss her next year,” Patel says.
Patel’s final comment leads to the main point of this article. Anderson plans to retire at the end of the 2021-2022 school year, but she is not completely done with Dallastown. She plans to continue directing the DHS musicals, but she also is looking forward to having more time to travel, and she also hopes to write the great American novel.
In conclusion, Dallastown High School is grateful for the services that Mrs. Anderson has provided in her years here and very thankful that she decided to become a teacher.