BY DAIYA RASMUSSEN

StaffWriter
drasmussen@tdnPublishing.
com
TROY
-
It was love at first sight'
Jack and CindY Arthur, teachers
at Troy Junior High and Concord
Elementary schools resPectivelY,
were set up on a blind date and have
been together ever since
-
except for
the time when Jack broke uP with
her.
"He broke mY heart," CindY said'
"I played hard to get when he
Pur-
sued me again."
After a year, CindY let Jack back
into her Hfe. TheY both attended
Bowling Green State UniversitY
where Jack studied social studies
and Cindy studied PhYsical
educa-
tion. They have their master's
degrees as well; Jacks is in educa-
tio-n administration
from Wright
State University and Cindy received
her master's of seience degree in edu-
cation from the University of Dayton.
Both spent their teaching careers
in the Troy City School District'
Cindy began teaching health in
1973 to
junior high girls for five
years until she quit teaching to raise
their daughters. In 1989, she
returned to the schools and taught
third grade at Concord where she
has been ever since.
"It's been wonderful," Cindy said'
"When I went back into
(teaching), I
decided to teach elementary because
I really enjoyed it. It's like coming
home, it's where I belong'"
When she isn't
PreParing
the third
grade students for their Ohio
Achievement Tests, she said she
likes to get her sttdents out of their
seats.
.
'
:,
'..:
"I've been dancing since I was 4-
vears-old." she said. "Sometimes I'Il
"have
them get up and I'lI teach them
a dance."
'
Cindy credits much of her haPPi-
ness in teaching to the staff she
works with and her students'
"I
just
love the teachers I work
with, we have a good time together,
I'Il miss that." she saicl. "Iil miss the
kids too, they're very sweet. This is a
wonderful class to go out on. They're
Lessons
in
fove
nice-kids
and the,v all work really
hard."
.
Jack started
teaching
social
stud_
ies in 1972 when the juiior
hieh--"
:rlggJ
was still i" tt
"
V""
Cfu"r"
building.
He said he tries to male his
classroom
a comfortabt"
"""lro"*""7 for his students
to learn in.
."f
never yell,
scream
or raise
mv
vorce,"
he said.
,,School
is reallv
fun; I
come home and tell funny
stories and laugh."
One thing Jack said he's
often remembered for by his
former students is the ele-
phant he draws in his class.
The elephant came from his
first grade math book and it
was the only thing he's ever
been able to draw. He drew
the elephant, named Fred, on
a test once for'his students
and the legend ofFred began.
Jack said Fred now has a
life of his bwn and pops up
everywhere in the classroom.
Because Jack coached for 30
years, Fred has even made it
to the scoreboard at football
games and scrolled his way
along the screen.
"Invariably former stu-
dents will ask'do you still
have that eiephant,"'he said.
"I'll be remembered as that
guy who had the elephant."
As much as Jack and
Cindy enjoy teaching, they're
ready to start a new chapter
in their lives'and when they
walk out of their schools af
the end ofthis school year,
they admit they'll be sad.
'At the end of any year
when all the children are
leaving it feels like they're all
leaving the nest," Cindy said.
"Wete talked about what it'll
be like to walk out on that
last day.
"That's why we made a list
in a notebook of all the things
we want to do once we're
retired."
The list includes traveling,
cooking, fiddling in the yard,
dancing, sleeping past 5 a.m.,
visiting their daughters and
having the ability to go offon
a sunny afternoon on a whim.
"It'll be like summer all
the time," Jack said. "We
have no real great plans, but
we'll be able to do things at
the drop of a hat."
The couple that met when
they were just
in high school
still likes to spend time with
each other and they share the
same interests, according to
Cindy.
Fuy'lu
both looking
forward
to what lies ahead
arrd starting
a new life, but
they think when summer
winds down and the start of
the school year
draws near,
they'll be able to feel it.
"It always
starts at the
end of July that we start feel_
ing the pull,"
Jack said.
,.But
this year
we'll feel it and
know we're not going
back.,,