This week, at least eight elementary teachers in Poway Unified School District turned off the lights in their classrooms for the last time as they embarked on a new chapter of their lives — retirement.
Those who taught in the district for at least 24 years and notified the district by early May were invited to reflect on their careers. Their bios are below. Other retiring teachers in the district are also being recognized.
Teachers at the middle and high school level will be featured in future issues.
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• Debbie Otto is retiring after teaching at Poway Unified for 36 years, most recently transitional kindergarten for 12 years at Creekside Elementary.
She previously taught first and fifth grades for a combined 25 years in grade-level classrooms. The first 13 years of her career were at Tierra Bonita Elementary. For six years she also taught with Impact, a program that pulls struggling students so they can work in small groups. Otto also spent three years on the Ready to Learn project where she wrote and designed curriculum for the district’s youngest students.
Otto earned her Bachelor of Arts, teaching credential and master’s degree in curriculum design from the University of California, San Diego.
“I know I will cry on the last day and miss this amazing profession,” Otto said, noting she made lifelong friendships with some of her fellow teachers such as Jan Willey, Dianne Green and Michelle Magana.
“My teaching assistant for the past three years is Santoshi Muragod and I don’t know what I would do without her as my partner,” she said. “The staff at Creekside is amazing and will continue to be my forever friends.
Otto said she has enjoyed her career.
“To begin my day with 24 hugs from smiling students has filled my heart each day and I will miss it,” she said. “I love teaching. I don’t need to be known or ed for any awards or accolades, but I hope to be ed as a kind teacher who gave her students a positive experience in school and taught a love for school and reading, science and math.
“My goal was to make school a fun and positive experience, to foster relationships, create a caring classroom and to design and teach lessons that were engaging and (educational),” Otto said. “The students have profoundly impacted my life in ways that far sur my influence on theirs. Their energy, curiosity and resilience have inspired me every day, shaping my journey as an educator and enriching my experiences beyond measure. Each interaction has left an indelible mark on my heart, reminding me of the incredible potential that lies within each of them.”
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• Debbie Thornburg Fleurbaaij is retiring after teaching at Poway Unified for 33 years, most recently kindergarten at Monterey Ridge Elementary, where she has taught since the campus opened 17 years ago.
She previously taught at Valley, Los Peñasquitos, Deer Canyon and Shoal Creek elementary schools. Fleurbaaij has also been a reading specialist for nine years, did literacy staff development for the district and was a reading recovery teacher for 15 years. She has also been named “Teacher of the Year.”
Fleurbaaij said she earned a bachelor’s degree in ing from the University of Texas at Austin, along with her certified public ant credentials, before earning her teaching and reading specialist credentials and a master’s degree in literacy from San Diego State University.
“So, how do you go from being a A to a kindergarten teacher? Well, I had been teaching kids in Sunday school and choir for 10 years. I found myself eagerly looking forward to my ‘kid time’ and was just ‘OK’ with work,” Fleurbaaij said. “I didn’t feel like I was making the world a better place. So, I went back to school so that I could work with kids every day. Not sure the world is better, but I’ve sure tried to help a bit.”
Fleurbaaij added, “I’m blessed that I got to do my ion — teaching and learning with children — as my work. When they learn, especially when it’s hard, it’s the most wonderful thing in the world.
“It’s been incredibly rewarding and exciting to see so many children accelerate and succeed,” she said. “I got to learn every day along with my kids, their parents and all the staff I’ve worked with. I still have so much left to learn, so I can’t wait to see what new things I’ll discover in retirement.”
Fleurbaaij said teaching exceeded her expectations.
“I got to help someone every day and so many lives have touched mine,” she said. “Children are excited to learn, so when you can tap into it and delight them with all the new things they can do, it’s so rewarding. It’s also humbling because children come from such diverse backgrounds and learn at different paces. So, I was constantly learning new things to make sure I was at the cutting edge of their learning. (It) kept me on my toes.”
Teaching during the pandemic was especially challenging and created special memories, Fleurbaaij said.
“I (had) to teach wiggly 5-year-olds who (had) never met me on a computer,” Fleurbaaij said, adding she had to figure out how to keep them engaged, make them want to come to “computer school,” make it easy for them and their parents while also making sure they met or exceeded all education standards.
“I would start every day around 6 a.m., then fall into bed around 10 or 11 p.m. I figured out how to do things on the computer I didn’t even know existed. Corduroy the bear helped me teach each day and (I) learned along with everyone else,” she said. “My students usually said, ‘Hi Corduroy!’ before ever acknowledging me. Hardest year of my life. But incredibly rewarding and (it) made me a much better teacher.”
As for her retirement plans, Fleurbaaij said she and her husband plan to stay in their Sabre Springs home since their three grown children live in San Diego.
“Unfortunately, my wonderful husband was recently diagnosed with cancer, so my plans are a little in limbo,” she said. “We’d like to travel more in the future if possible, especially to Alaska, Australia, New Zealand and Europe.”
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• Lisa (Charbonneau) Lima is retiring after teaching at Poway Unified 32 years, most recently third grade at Creekside Elementary, where she has taught for the past 26 years.
She previously taught at Los Peñasquitos and Morning Creek elementary schools and has been an English Language Learner coordinator for 28 years. In 2017 she was named “Teacher of the Year.”
Lima earned her associates degree from Palomar College, her bachelor’s degree in liberal studies and teaching credential from San Diego State University, and her master’s degree in education from National University.
“I have always loved children and reading. Why not combine the two?” Lima said when asked why she chose a career in education.
She said her career “exceeded greatly” her expectations because “so many children and families have become friends and touched my heart over the years. I’ve worked with some of the best staffs and made lifelong friends with colleagues. It truly takes a village and I wouldn’t have been half the teacher without them.”
As for a special memory, Lima mentioned her first year of teaching, when she had “the opportunity to see a student’s face light up when she realized she was reading. I (knew) I was in the right place. Since then, I’ve watched former students come stroll campus for the senior walk in their caps and gowns, sharing their accomplishments and where they were going for college.
“I’ve been invited to bridal showers, weddings and held new babies of previous students,” Lima said. “The memories of watching them become readers, mathematicians and problem solvers and then seeing where their ions have led them to make the world a better place overflow my heart.”
As for her retirement plans, Lima said she and her husband, Andy, are building a new house in Texas to be close to their grandbabies and the lake.
“I will continue teaching online graduate school for educators at UCSD and trying out some new hobbies,” Lima added.
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• Michelle Bulda is retiring after teaching at Poway Unified for 30 years, most recently kindergarten at Pomerado Elementary, the campus where she did her student teaching and remained over the decades.
She began as a special education teacher working with fourth and fifth grade students for four years before transferring to general education second, third and fourth grades. She has taught kindergarten for the past 23 years. For 25 years Bulda was also the Student Council adviser and served on numerous committees and in leadership roles at the site and district level.
Bulda earned her bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of California, San Diego and her multiple subject and special education credentials along with a master’s degree in special education all from National University.
“My parents were both in public education, which initially steered me away from that,” Bulda said. “However, in time, my path kept circling back to teaching. I worked in respite care while I was getting my credentials, and I found a calling while working with children with special needs and their families.”
Despite this background, Bulda said, “I honestly don’t think I knew what to expect when I started. However, over the years there have been so many evolutions that the job is definitely very different now than it was when I began.
“I have always been open to embracing change and evolving and growing,” Bulda said. “I have seen so much come and go, but being an influential part of a child’s life is always rewarding, that has never changed.”
Bulda said she has too many special memories to share just one, “but in general the memories that most warm my heart are the subtle things — the sweet notes and pictures, the smile and light in their eyes when a child discovers they can do something they didn’t know they could do, the connections with parents and colleagues.”
As for her retirement plans, Bulda said she has been teaching yoga on the side and also does Reiki and sound healing.
“I plan to dive deeper into these avenues, exploring new opportunities for teaching and learning in new ways,” she said.
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Also retiring are:
• Elizabeth Zelaya, who taught at Poway Unified for 23 years, most recently preschool at Design 39 Campus.
• Debbie Kay, who taught at Poway Unified for 22 years, most recently fifth grade at Stone Ranch Elementary.
• Debbie Ciarmelli, who taught at Poway Unified for 20 years, most recently first grade at Pomerado Elementary.
• Carol Buddin, who taught at Poway Unified for 17 years, most recently fourth grade at Morning Creek Elementary.
