This year, three teachers are retiring from teaching at John Carroll. These teachers are Mrs. Tess Gauthier, Dr. Paul Lazor, and Mrs. Christine Zurkowski. Their time here collectively makes up over 68 years of teaching, and together they have had nine children who have gone through the JC.
Mrs. Gauthier has been teaching at John Carroll for 27 years, 31 in total. Her other four years were spent at Edgewood High School from 1976-1980. After teaching at Edgewood, she changed careers and became a respiratory therapist. She worked at several hospitals in Baltimore.
She started coaching at John Carroll in 1990. “As an alum, coach and faculty member, more than half of my life has been at John Carroll, which I have loved.”
She loved working at John Carroll, especially when her children were students. She has great memories from coaching field hockey and badminton. What she will miss most are her teacher friends, specifically the conversations and lunches she has had with them, and also interacting with young people.
In regard to her plans for retirement, she said, “I hope to travel a little, not worry about lessons and grades, help with the grandkids, and maybe do a little part time work.”
Dr. Lazor has been teaching at JC for 17 years, and it has been his second career after spending 25 years as a clinical psychologist.
About how his teaching style has evolved over his time at JC, he said, “I believe that it is important to first be organized about the material and second be enthusiastic. I do think that teaching teenagers helped me be more patient and forgiving in general. Teenagers are going to mess up, but you have to look beyond this at the good.”
His favorite memory from John Carroll occurred during his first year when his daughter was a senior. He thought it was fun to see her and interact with her throughout the day. He said that what he will miss most is his students. The best part of teaching, according to Dr. Lazor, was interacting with them every day.
Dr. Lazor always took AP classes as a challenge, saying he wanted the students to learn as much as possible to express themselves and what they learned on the AP exam. He does not have any definitive plans for retirement but hopes to put himself in situations where he can be with other people. Dr. Lazor’s message to the John Carroll community is “Stay positive and work hard.”
Mrs. Zurkowski has been teaching at John Carroll for 24 years and teaching for a total of 30. She said that working at John Carroll has “changed me by making me closer to God with the daily prayer, service experiences, Masses with students, and the availability of the chapel for quiet prayer and reflection.”
Her favorite memory was traveling to Italy and England several times with Mrs. Michael, Mr. Hensley, and students over spring break. She loves seeing the different sights including the Vatican, Buckingham Palace, Capri, and other amazing places. What she will miss most are her colleagues and the energy and pop culture knowledge of her students.
Her greatest accomplishment as a teacher was taking over Yearbook Journalism and supervising “incredible yearbook students in the creation of ten spectacular Pacificus yearbooks.”
Her plans for retirement are to travel with her husband, a pilot for United Airlines, and spend more time with her children who are living in New York City, Chicago, and San Francisco. She also plans to tend to her gardens and American Cotswold sheep and go to her beach house in Fenwick, Delaware.
Her message to her students and colleagues is “to use every minute at JC to learn, serve, and perform at their highest level, all while being kind and respectful to everyone whom they encounter. I have a sign in my room that reads, “No Slacking Any Time.” That means that you should do your best in everything and be your best in all situations.”
These three teachers have created a legacy at John Carroll that will last for years and years through the students and colleagues they have taught and inspired. All three will be greatly missed by everyone in the John Carroll community.