Janice White begins 50th year in the classroom

Janice White, of Leachville, recently arrived on the first day of school to welcome her students at BIC for the 50th time. White, a 1970 graduate of Leachville High School, was only away a few years while earning a degree in special education at Arkansas State.

She started teaching in 1974 at Leachville Elementary and has remained in the same school district for five decades.

She was in the same classroom for 45 of those years until the new elementary school was built. She was there when Leachville and Monette consolidated to form Buffalo Island Central in the 1980s.

She met her husband, Coach Bob White, at Leachville School. He came from Wynne High School to coach basketball. They married in 1979. Sadly, he passed away in 2020. He coached at Leachville until BIC and Monette consolidated and completed his coaching career retiring from Manila High School. Janice kept books for the teams he coached and throughout the years only missed one game.

Janice said she chose special education as her career path and has never regretted her decision.

“One summer a friend, Nan Bridges, asked me to help in a summer camp for special needs children in Blytheville and I fell in love with helping the kids,” she said. “After that camp, I knew what I wanted to do.”

Janice said she still loves coming to work everyday at BIC.

“I have wonderful co-workers, administrators and students,” Janice said. “I have great-great-nieces and great-great-nephews who are students at BIC. I have a niece, Alesha, who teaches here, also.”

When asked about changes in the classroom over the last half century, she was quick to say technology.

“Kids are kids,” she said. “They are the same then and now but technology has certainly become a big part of the classroom.”

Janice has always worked since her high school days. She worked in a grocery store for Mr. and Mrs. William Olive and said they taught her good work ethics by example. She worked in a factory during the summer and at the ASU Library during school months.

As soon as she graduated from ASU, she was hired by Mr. Marshall, superintendent at the time. Her first contract may have been for $10,000 a year.

There have only been five superintendents in her 50 years. The present BIC superintendent is Gaylon Taylor.

She also praised the elementary principals, Kima Stewart and Nicole Stewart, for doing a great job.

Janice had not done the math, but a co-worker, Terry Rose, added up the years and word got out she was starting her 50th year.

She was surprised on the first day of school with a beautiful bouquet of flowers from BIC Elementary and staff.

“I still enjoy working with my students and I am very content,” she said. “I am going to take it one year at a time.”

In addition to teaching, she enjoys working in her yard.