ROCK FALLS – A lot has changed in education since retiring Rock Falls Elementary School District 13 Superintendent Jack Etnyre first stepped into a classroom in 1968.
Among the changes in education that Etnyre noted are the increased availability of special education services, a greater presence of school lawyers who fight on behalf of students' rights, and the structure of staff negotiations.
The biggest change? The use of technology in instruction, he said.
"Computers were basically nonexistent before the early '80s in the schools," Etnyre said. "And now, they are everywhere. They allow us to do a lot of instructional activities and research in ways that you wouldn't have imagined when I started teaching."
Computers also have revolutionized business practices for school administrators; most of the communication between the district and the State Board of Education takes place online, he noted.
Etnyre, 65, was born in Savanna on Dec. 15, 1944. He went through Chadwick and Polo schools before receiving his bachelor's degree from Northern Illinois University in 1968. That fall, he got his first teaching job, at Centerville School District 77.
In Prophetstown-Lyndon Community Unit 3, he taught science for 2 years at Lyndon Junior High School. He became principal there in 1971 and served for 6 years. He then was principal of Rock Falls Junior High School for 5 years.
In 1982, he became superintendent of Rock Falls Elementary School District 13. It is a position he has had for 28 years.
Tuesday morning, he reflected on how education has improved in the more than 40 years he spent as a teacher and superintendent.
Another big change was the creation of Title IX, which prevents discrimination on the basis of sex under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.
"When I started my teaching career, girls' athletic programs were nonexistent," he said. "Those were started in the early '70s. Sex equity is an issue that has occurred."
Teacher pay also has changed with the times.
When Etnyre began teaching, salaries were $5,000 to $6,000 for a first-year teacher. That level has risen to $25,000 to $35,000.
One aspect that hasn't changed in education is the students.
"Society's expectations for students have changed," he said, "but students come more or less as an empty vessel, and we fill them.
"Their standards of conduct may have changed, but the students are still eager to learn, and come to school relatively innocent and interested in learning," he said.
Etnyre's final day as superintendent is June 30. On July 1, Merrill principal Dan Arickx will take over.
In a few weeks, Etnyre will wake up every day to a world without school board meetings, teacher conferences and building maintenance updates.
He will spend more time with his wife, Mary, his five children and his four grandchildren. He will enjoy the outdoors, working on lawn, gardening and landscaping projects.
He still has high hopes for education and educators even after he leaves.
Etnyre said he hopes the district continues to be able to offer all of the programs that are now in place and will work to rebuild programs that were scaled back.
"One wonders what impact a person has had, and I hope that it's been to help children," he said. "In this district, I've been here long enough, that about 95 percent of the teachers, I've employed.
"I think I've hired through my career excellent teachers, and my legacy will be the work that they do."
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