Dorothy Agnes Newton Rider
Dorothy Agnes Newton Rider was born in 1904. Her entire life she lived in the same house in Branford with her husband, Clayton, her parents, Harriett and Durant Newton and her two children, Jeanette and Elizabeth.
Dorothy graduated from the Connecticut State Normal School in 1924 and did her student teaching in the Prince St. School in New Haven, which at that time was considered one of the most difficult schools. From there she went to the Brushy Plains School which was a two room schoolhouse where the boys had to get the wood for the stove from outside and there was no modern plumbing as we know it. That was a different time. She would tell of going through all her students' hair looking for lice, bringing extra food for kids who might not have a good lunch and making copies from mimeo gelatin in a pan.
Dorothy taught a brief time in the Short Beach School and then in the Indian Neck School. It was at Indian Neck that she taught first grade for over forty years; first in the old building which is now a veterans' hall and then in the new building from the day of its grand opening until the day she had to retire. It was during this time that she earned her Bachelor's Degree from Southern Connecticut State College.
Teaching was Dorothy's calling and she approached it as such. She knew each child was unique and learned differently. She always found ways to get the most out of all her students. To her, it was never "just a job." Each student was important to her. She believed that the most important people were teachers because they prepare the youth of the next generation and that each of us is a teacher. Unfortunately, Dorothy lost her eyesight from diabetes and was forced to retire. It was a bittersweet end to a lifetime of service and love. Dorothy was a lifetime member of the Branford Grange and as a member of the First Baptist Church; she never missed a service until shortly before her death in 1978.
For years after Dorothy died, people in Branford would tell her children that they had Dorothy as their teacher. They would tell them how she helped them to get on the right path and prepared them for the serious but fun work of the continuing education ahead of them.
Dorothy is still remembered by many in Branford as a very dedicated and committed teacher, who practiced her two highest priorities, education and service to man.
Dorothy graduated from the Connecticut State Normal School in 1924 and did her student teaching in the Prince St. School in New Haven, which at that time was considered one of the most difficult schools. From there she went to the Brushy Plains School which was a two room schoolhouse where the boys had to get the wood for the stove from outside and there was no modern plumbing as we know it. That was a different time. She would tell of going through all her students' hair looking for lice, bringing extra food for kids who might not have a good lunch and making copies from mimeo gelatin in a pan.
Dorothy taught a brief time in the Short Beach School and then in the Indian Neck School. It was at Indian Neck that she taught first grade for over forty years; first in the old building which is now a veterans' hall and then in the new building from the day of its grand opening until the day she had to retire. It was during this time that she earned her Bachelor's Degree from Southern Connecticut State College.
Teaching was Dorothy's calling and she approached it as such. She knew each child was unique and learned differently. She always found ways to get the most out of all her students. To her, it was never "just a job." Each student was important to her. She believed that the most important people were teachers because they prepare the youth of the next generation and that each of us is a teacher. Unfortunately, Dorothy lost her eyesight from diabetes and was forced to retire. It was a bittersweet end to a lifetime of service and love. Dorothy was a lifetime member of the Branford Grange and as a member of the First Baptist Church; she never missed a service until shortly before her death in 1978.
For years after Dorothy died, people in Branford would tell her children that they had Dorothy as their teacher. They would tell them how she helped them to get on the right path and prepared them for the serious but fun work of the continuing education ahead of them.
Dorothy is still remembered by many in Branford as a very dedicated and committed teacher, who practiced her two highest priorities, education and service to man.