An expert in English education, Lois J. Lamb’s mother was a school teacher, as well as her grandmother, and she felt that teaching was something she needed to do. Everybody told her that she should be a teacher. Her own English teacher, Ann Clarke, inspired her and motivated her because of her kindness, bringing English to life. Ms. Lamb began teaching within Kalamazoo Public Schools in Michigan in 1955, remaining in this role for one year before transferring to Niles Public Schools from 1956 to 1960 and Caledonia Community Schools from 1962 until her retirement in 1996. In addition to this tenure, she served on the steering committee for development with the North Kent Career Technical Center, representing Caledonia.
Ms. Lamb taught an AP class, and sometimes she got a group of kids that were with her every minute. The students were seniors and be she had been at Caledonia so long, she taught their parents. Some people thought that she took too much from her students, but she really did enjoy teaching them and had to be like that with her students because they were still children, even though they were 18 years old. Prior to the start of her professional career, Ms. Lamb pursued a formal education at Michigan State University in East Lansing, earning a Bachelor of Arts in 1954. She then attended Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, where she attained a Master of Arts in 1960. Additionally, she is certified in secondary education.
Active in her local community, Ms. Lamb was the former director and president of the Rockford Theater from 1972 to 1982. She also volunteered with the North Kent Service Center, the Rockford Krause Library and the Rockford Museum and was a board member of the Community Library Board and North Kent Advanced Charity Center. Outside of her primary trade, Ms. Lamb served as secretary of Caledonia Community Education from 1968 to 1972, and served the Rockford Business & Professional Women’s Club as vice president and president between 1973 and 1975. Likewise, she is affiliated with the National Education Association, the Michigan Education Association, the Nature Conservancy, the Arbor Day Foundation and K911.
Ms. Lamb would like to be remembered as a kind person, who always wanted her students to do their best. What has kept her motivated throughout the years is that she enjoyed what she did. Teaching is an extraordinary, giving kind of profession. If you don’t like it, you shouldn’t do it because it can affect a lot of people. Recently, Ms. Lamb’s great-nephew Daniel just had a wedding and she got to see her great-great-nephew and great-great-niece. One is age 2 and the other is 7 months.
