“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” -Walt Disney

Mrs. Moeller embraces this quote, one of her favorites, as she steps into a new chapter in life, one that isn’t held in room 333, that isn’t on a bell schedule, and doesn’t involve grading papers.

For this is the year Moeller has decided to retire.

It was almost a decade ago when Moeller (pronounced mil-er) started teaching at Canyon Vista. She has had the same classroom and set up for 11 years, that has felt like home to her. “This room has become home and it’s going to get hard to leave,” said Moeller.

As this year turns into her last, she doesn’t plan to stay away forever. Moeller plans to substitute at Canyon Vista. “I love seeing the kids everyday and I want to keep teaching.” Mrs. Moeller loves teaching so much that she almost second guessed retirement altogether.

With her newfound free time, Moeller intends to travel to places like Alaska, Iceland, and Dallas, so she can go to the Texas State Fair. She plans to see her grandchildren more often so she can be present for their accomplishments. She also wants to cook more. “Basically, I like to make pasta, like lasagna,” Moeller said.

There are encouraging and challenging things about being a teacher. “The one thing I won’t miss is grading all those papers . . . the thing I will miss the most is the kids.” Moeller said that the best part of being a teacher is seeing and teaching the kids in her class. She said that she will miss Mrs. Hagerty and all her friends here at Canyon Vista.

There are things that a teacher gains in all their years of teaching. Moeller received a gavel that was used in a legislature court meeting. She is considering either keeping the gavel as a memory of her years teaching, or giving it to another Texas History teacher. “I haven’t decided what I’m going to do with it yet.” Some of her classroom posters and other trinkets are not just valuable to her, but to others, as they symbolize all that she has put into her career. “My husband took my star off my wall and said ‘I want this’ and took it home with him.”

Moeller has impacted not just her students, but her coworkers as well. “I am really going to miss Mrs. Moeller next year,” Mr. MaCuk said. “This is my first year at Canyon Vista and she has been so helpful. She has treated me like part of the Canyon family since my first day here. I will always remember that. She is a great teacher and a great friend.”

“Mrs. Moeller will be dearly missed,” Mr. Williams said. “I remember meeting her when I came to visit Canyon Vista to decide if I wanted to work here and she made me feel welcome and comfortable. I know she has had a great career in education, but it’s time for relaxation and maybe a fishing trip or two! Enjoy your new chapter in life to the fullest!”            

“As the social studies department chair, and a long-time Texas History teacher, she has dedicated so much of her life to the profession, and has touched so many students’ lives,” Mrs. Hagerty said. “I hope her last few months of teaching are the best ever!”

“Her teaching has made such a lasting impact on me,” Mrs. Martin said. “Thanks for showing me what a master teacher looks like.”

Even though Moeller might be seen in school as a sub next year, her absence as a teacher will be felt by Canyon Vista students and staff. When you see her, she might look the same, and have the same spark and smile. But it won’t be the same, for Moeller will be traveling down a new path, doing a new thing.