Teacher retiring from St. Patrick’s after 43 years

ST. CHARLES – After 43 years of teaching at St. Patrick’s Catholic School in St. Charles Township, Ken Cordier is retiring.

Friday was his last day of work, and the school honored him following Mass. He said in 43 years, there was at least one thing that hasn’t changed.

“This school, it truly is a family here,” he said. “You get to know not only the students, but their parents. We all have the same goal, and that is to do the best we can with the students we encounter.”

Cordier, who has taught eighth-grade reading, literature and social studies, said his job at St. Patrick’s Catholic School was his first when he graduated from Northern Illinois University.

To put 43 years into perspective, Cordier pointed out that students from his first graduating class now are 57 years old, and there are three teachers at St. Patrick’s Catholic School who were Cordier’s former students.

He said while the decision to retire wasn’t easy, he looks forward to possibly traveling and spending time with his family.

Cordier spent 35 years working alongside his wife, Mary Ellen Cordier, who retired six years ago after teaching religion to junior high students.

While teaching, Cordier spent some time as the school’s assistant principal, taught physical education and helped coach basketball. He said a number of his students are the children of his former students, as well.

He suggests that new teachers or anyone who is thinking about becoming a teacher is to follow the advice from Ralph Waldo Emerson, who is quoted in a poster that hung in the back of Cordier’s classroom saying, “The secret of education is respecting the student.”

“I’ve always found that to be true. ... I think young people should enjoy teaching,” he said. “The more you give, the more you get back.”

Principal Joseph Battisto said Cordier has taught about 2,500 children during his tenure.

“First, from an education standpoint, he truly has the respect and admiration of everyone he has worked with,” he said. “And he’s greatly respected at the parish and diocese levels.”