Beth Delacour on retiring: I'll miss the kids, they make me laugh

A self-described "forever learner," Beth Delacour won't be saying goodbye to schools once she retires as the South Tahoe Middle School Principal next month. "I like to learn," she said.

After 32 years working in the Lake Tahoe Unified School District, Delacour is looking forward to having breakfast with her girlfriends, cooking dinner for her husband ("He's been so supportive"), and enjoying her grandchildren (the fourth one is just one week old). But don't look for her to be just relaxing for long.

"I'm going to take six months and see what retirement feels like," said Delacour when asked what she has planned next. "Things are calling my name." She wouldn't comment further on what those things might be. Being just 58-years old she has lots of time left to enjoy things.

"I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up," she added with a smile.

Delacour will be attending next week's South Tahoe High graduation, not only because her eldest grand-daughter is graduating, but the students being promoted were her first sixth grade class when she took the helm at the middle school.

While many educators may be leery of middle school aged children, Delacour loved her students. "In sixth grade you get get kids with all the ingredients, and by eight grade they are all cooked up," she said. "I'm encouraged, we're in good hands," Delacour said of her students. "These kids are going to do great things!"

When asked what she'll miss most about her job, she quickly said "kids."

She'd like to be remembered as someone who cares, and for moving kids forward academically.

Out of all she's experienced in education, there are two things she'd like to see changed in the system. One is finding a better way to measure what has been learned than by state testing. Teaching to a test isn't the best, she said. Delacour would also like to see things funded for schools without having to write for a bunch of little grants.

The former teacher (she taught at Tahoe Valley Elementary before moving to South Tahoe Middle school) has three sons, 45, 44, 26 and the grandchildren are 18, 16, 14 and one week.

We haven't heard the last from her, but, as Beth said, we'll have to wait six months.