It started with her grandmother. She was a teacher for 54 years in Gretna, and every Christmas she had a stash of teacher manuals tucked away as gifts. For a young Betsy Richards, it was never really a question of what she would become.

In 1981, Richards joined Papillion La Vista Community Schools as a third grade teacher at La Vista West Elementary. The district looked very different than it does today. There were 9 schools and fewer than 5,000 students. Today there are 21 schools and over 12,000 students. After 19 years at La Vista West, Richards made her way to Papillion Middle School, where she has taught 7th grade English ever since. She attended PLCS herself, and her sons became the fourth generation of her family to graduate from the district. Today she is teaching the grandchildren of some of her very first students.

This spring, after 45 years, she’s retiring. She’s leaving behind a classroom full of stories. A student from 41 years ago is one she still carries with her. The student had been removed from her home due to a very difficult situation, and Richards was the only person allowed to visit her. She went every day. That student, now grown and thriving, still keeps in touch. Four decades later, the relationship endures.

That kind of connection isn’t an accident; it’s a practice. Every year before the first day of school, Richards sent an email to each student’s family asking them to tell her about their child. She reads every response before a single student walks through her door. It’s a philosophy Tim Johnson, principal at Papillion Middle School, has noticed, too. 

“She is the only staff member I’ve known who takes notes at events so she can connect with students the next day,” he said.

Richards has watched teaching change over 45 years, but some things have stayed the same. Students still need structure, and they still need to know you care. 

“What I would have called a parent about discipline-wise 45 years ago wouldn’t turn my head now,” she said. “I called a parent one time because her child was putting macaroni in the drinking fountain to make it spray further across the room. Now I would probably recommend them for the engineering club.”

Her colleagues feel her commitment to the students. “She loves being part of the school, not just a team,” said colleague Beth Miller. “One way or another, she has touched all of our lives.” 

Outside the classroom, Richards’s involvement has been extraordinary. With a love of sports, she spent years working the scoreboard, scorebook, and timing systems for middle school athletic events. When the Leo Club lost its sponsor twenty years ago, Richards stepped in so it wouldn’t disappear, and grew the Veterans Day program under her watch. Even the school’s Ronald McDonald House pop tab collection started with her students. After her classroom presentation, they decided they wanted to start collecting. Thousands of tabs later, they still are. 

“My favorite part is seeing students in a different environment and making different types of connections,” she said. When asked what she hopes students take from her class, her answer was simple: an appreciation for reading, a value for education, and kindness. It’s a sentiment former student and current PLCS colleague Sara Dunn knows well.

“I’m very fortunate to have had such a great teacher, mentor, and friend throughout the years,” Dunn said. 

After 45 years, Richards’s impact is immeasurable. Retirement, she says, is bittersweet. She plans to substitute and looks forward to the next chapter. For her, teaching was much more than a job. 

“It’s part of who I am.”