By Darshini Dayanidhi
For decades at East, Mrs. Ehmann has been a steady presence in the English classroom, known for her emphasis on discussion, her direct honesty, and the way she treats students like full people rather than just names on a roster. As she prepares to retire, she reflects on a career shaped by consistency in belief, moments of uncertainty, and experiences that stayed with her far beyond the school day.
She explains that her core approach to teaching never really shifted over time. From the beginning, she believed that respect had to be earned through effort on both sides of the classroom. She never saw teaching as something that would be easy, and that expectation only became more real as years went on. At the center of her philosophy has always been a simple idea about relationships in the classroom. “I always believed that having respect for my students and working hard for them was a key to having that respect returned to me,” she said. “I still firmly believe that.”
While her teaching beliefs stayed steady, her perspective on students shifted significantly after 2005, when she returned to teaching following the birth of her first son. That transition changed how she saw her classroom. She began viewing students through a more personal lens, shaped by her experience as a parent. It was a shift that added a different layer of understanding to her work, especially in how she responded to students’ needs, behaviors, and experiences.
Among the many years she spent at East, one moment remains especially vivid: the morning of September 11, 2001. Mrs. Ehmann recalls walking into the IMC and noticing teachers gathered around a television, watching the unfolding news coverage. The second plane struck while she was in the room. She describes the day as something that felt unreal in real time, as both students and staff tried to understand what was happening while still inside the school building.
What stands out to her most, beyond the shock itself, is how the school responded. Then principal Neal Miller made the decision to have televisions placed in multiple areas of the building so students could stay informed rather than being isolated from what was happening. Ms. Ehmann remembers the collective confusion, but also the way the school remained together throughout the day and sought comfort with each other.
“Everyone was bewildered,” she said. She recalls how students and teachers stayed in the building, moving through the day together as the news continued to develop. For Mrs. Ehmann, that shared experience mattered. In moments of crisis, she believes presence itself becomes meaningful. Being together allowed students and teachers to process something overwhelming without facing it alone.
After school, the weight of the day followed her home. Her husband was not there when she returned, so she went to her parents’ house rather than staying alone. She remembers needing that sense of proximity to family after such a destabilizing day. Looking back, she sees 9/11 as a moment that “changed the world”.
Over time, she has watched East evolve in ways both physical and cultural. The removal of the Commons pit, the disappearance of the second-floor library, and the addition of more enclosed spaces have all changed the environment she once knew as a student herself. She also notices changes within classroom interaction. She remarks that students today participate less in discussion, something she views as a loss. For her, dialogue has always been central to learning, not an optional part of it.
She also observes changes in student habits and school culture. Technology has shifted how students approach learning, with a greater reliance on external tools to solve problems quickly. Even small classroom norms have changed over time in ways she finds surprising, including something she mentions with humor. “All of the eating in the classrooms is crazy. Take a lunch period, people!” she said.
Her early years as a teacher were marked by uncertainty. She remembers arriving to school with anxiety for roughly the first five years of her career, unsure of herself in the classroom despite her preparation. What helped her through that period was the people around her. She points to colleagues like Mr. Blaisdell, Mrs. Blaisdell, Mrs. Ruof, Mr. Lawrence, and later Mrs. Piatek as sources of grounding, support, and stability. She describes those relationships as essential to learning how to navigate the job, especially when everything still felt new and overwhelming.
Even after years of experience, she never taught the same way twice. Each class reshaped how she approached literature, discussion, and pacing. Still, there are certain texts she feels will always remain part of her classroom. “I would never stop teaching To Kill a Mockingbird. NEVER,” she said.
Her approach to education also extends to how she advises students. One piece of advice she wishes more students understood earlier is simple: focus less on grades and more on learning itself. For her, grades are secondary to understanding, curiosity, and growth.
As retirement approaches, she reflects most on the students themselves. She speaks about them with warmth, emphasizing the energy and personality students bring into the classroom. “I will always miss talking to teenagers,” she said. “You are hilarious and kind, you are all good people.”
After years at East as both student and teacher, Ms. Ehmann leaves behind a legacy painstakingly built on thousands of everyday interactions, conversations, and classrooms that shaped both her and her students in return.