Retirement can be a fulfilling phase of life where you have the freedom to pursue your interests, travel, volunteer or learn something new you’ve always aspired to master. For Lisa Light it was a chance to do a little of a lot of those, but then jump right back to what she loved: the elementary school chaos.
Lisa retired from her 36-year career in education in 2019 in order to spend more time with her precious husband, Eddie, who had a terminal illness and although he did not need a caregiver at that time, their hearts knew they needed focused time together without distractions.
Eddie passed away in July of 2021, and Lisa felt called back to working with schools but in a principal coaching role which she realized was far from the elementary day-to-day life she missed: kids.
Lisa tried to fill the missing pieces through volunteering at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital information desk, but as she worked with ETCH families, it only increased the ache for school interactions.
Going on Knox County Schools website, Lisa was led to the perfect fit for her next retirement adventure: front office, part-time, with kids and families, in a school!
Lisa says, “I am delighted to report that Dogwood Elementary feels like the perfect spot for me to be. It is such a happy place! I have received such a warm welcome from everyone and am really looking forward to becoming part of the close-knit Dogwood family. The kids who are tardy will check in with me daily, and hopefully I will be able to help them figure out ways to get to school on time.”
Lisa Light is such a positive, bright addition to any group of people. I am interested to see how she will improve the tardy stat and not increase it when students realize they get to visit Ms. Light if they are tardy!
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