Fourth-grade teacher Deborah Wood is retiring this year after 23 years at Hershey Elementary School.

Wood graduated from Radford University in western Virginia and found a third-grade teaching position at the same school where her mom taught third grade. She started teaching there in 1988. To differentiate between Wood and her mom, “the kids would call us the young Ms. Taylor and the old Mrs. Taylor,” Wood said. Taylor is Wood’s maiden name.

After teaching in Virginia, Wood taught at a military base in Germany for three years. There, she taught second, third, and fourth grade. One of her favorite memories from this time was when a student who lived in the same military housing as she did became sick, and the student’s mother came to her door to ask her to reassure the child that it was okay to miss school.

Wood began teaching in the Derry Township School District in 2003. Her first position was as a gifted support teacher, and the next year she became the fourth-grade teacher she is today.

“Math is definitely my favorite [subject] to teach. I love teaching multiplication, division, and geometry the best,” Wood said.

Over the years, teaching has changed. Wood said the biggest change she has noticed is that “we meet kids where they’re at more. There is so much more differentiation… our lessons aren’t one size fits all.”

Wood has many catchphrases and songs that her former students remember for years after taking her class. Outside her door, she proudly displays a painting made by a former student’s mom, adorned with her classroom motto: “Welcome to room 48, where learning is great!” She teaches her students each year to say this motto whenever they have a guest in the classroom.

Her classroom motto isn’t the only lesson her students remember, however. Wood recalls a time when she saw a parent years after teaching their child. Even the parent remembered Wood’s biggest lesson: to advocate for yourself.

Wood keeps in touch with many of her former students and their parents through Facebook. She lives in the area, with many of her students living on the same block as her.

“I love when former students reach out, and I love that there is Facebook so that I can keep up with what they are doing now,” Wood said.

After retiring, Wood plans to move to Texas, where her daughter’s family lives. “I’m most excited to get to see my granddaughter more often,” Wood said.

While Mrs. Wood may be leaving, her impact on Hershey Elementary School and her students will remain for years to come.