When District 87 teacher and coach Joel Misukonis started working at Bloomington High School in 1990, there were no computers in the building — and it would be around 10 years or so before they were a common sight on teachers' desks.
"When I graduated college, there were only, like, a handful of computers in the whole school. Now, every kid has a computer — and they have a computer in their pocket," Misukonis said. "I was really interested in technology and I learned as much as I could. And when they needed a technology teacher for various classes, I would teach it."
When Unit 5 teacher Jennifer Bolton began her career in music education 32 years ago, the county's largest school district was still using a process in which teachers traveled from school to school to deliver their lessons.
"When you go out to the individual schools, you don't really have a band — and then you were teaching individual lessons, but they never got an ensemble skill," Bolton said. "It was great for pedagogy and learning specific instrument skills, but as far as becoming a true band community, it didn't lend itself well for that."
Much has changed since both teachers got their starts some 30-plus-years ago — and while this time of year is associated with the end of the school year, it's also the end of an era for teachers who are retiring.
In this audio postcard, both Bolton and Misukonis reflect on their service to their respective districts — what's changed, what's stayed the same, why they loved it and what they'll miss most:
