'It made me not think about me,' principal says of job that helped her through cancer

By Kristen Forbes

The Beaverton Valley Times, Aug 6, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (1 Reader comment)

<< Prev. Page 1 | 2

A resident of Aloha, Schattauer is proud to have raised a daughter and son, who were brought up in the Beaverton school system.

“They are very successful adults because of this wonderful place,” she says.

This pride carries over to her students and staff at Hiteon. She credits her job as principal for helping her keep her focus throughout her illness.

“It’s what made me not think about me,” Schattauer says. “It would be really easy to fall into that trap of ‘Oh poor me, I’m sick.’ Yet, this was my job and I could come to my job and they (the students) saw me as just the same person I was before. I still got the same hugs and kisses, and they just wrapped me with their love. I could come here and forget that I had something going on in my life, and just keep going. Then I’d go home and collapse.”

Clearly, she received her inspiration from the students she oversees.

“Some of our kids come from difficult situations,” Schattauer says. “No matter what, they come to school every day, they try their best, they almost always have a smile on their faces — and if they don’t, we’re there to pick up the little pieces and help put that smile back on, so that when they get home at the end of the day, they can tell their parents what great things happened today.”

Schattauer said she too would go home each day and receive tremendous support from her husband. And whenever she was at school, she knew she could count on her colleagues to help with whatever needed to be done.

“Teachers do an amazing job of stepping in and picking up where there’s slack. I think a lot of time our families don’t even realize how much they do. They work so hard, and they care so much about every child in their classrooms. It’s just like a big, extended family,” says Schattauer.

Schattauer is proud that in her retirement, she’s leaving behind a school in great standing, which she credits to the hard work of her colleagues, students, parents and volunteers.

“It’s very gratifying to know that I’m leaving school with a new wing completed and everything in place, our school being excellent, great test scores and tremendous community. We really care about our kids here. Our volunteers have a little over 7,000 volunteer hours at our school.”

Though she has some residual numbness in her hands and feet, Schattauer says she is feeling back to normal and is excited for a restful and relaxing retirement. Still, she doesn’t think her educational journey is over just yet.

“I know that at some point my future will come back and cross with education, whether that be with volunteering or coming back to help with special projects or filling in for someone, like one of my retired principals did for me while I was out sick last year. I would love to be able to do that for somebody else,” Schattauer says.

<< Prev. Page 1 | 2

Facebook	Digg	Del.icio.us
Newsvine	Stumbleupon	Reddit