Gloria Yoder Retires After 25 Years

Dedicated, organized, caring.

These are just some of the words to use that describe IMS math teacher, Gloria Yoder. Gloria models for our students what it is to be a servant leader as she passes on her love for math.

Gloria Yoder’s IMS teaching career began in 1980 as the business teacher. She taught for 3 years before deciding to stay home to raise her four children (Caleb ‘02, Rebecca ‘06, Maria ‘07, and Nicole ‘11). After 14 years at home, Gloria returned to IMS, this time to the math department. Her love for teaching math was contagious, inspiring her own children who all four majored in education, math, or both, in college.

Throughout her 25 years, Gloria was also involved with many committees and clubs at IMS. As a Compassion Club leader, she loved working with students to make a difference in the world. Some favorite

activities included the silent auction, sponsoring students from all over the world, assembling school kits, and working at Crowded Closet. Gloria also enjoyed working with other faculty and students on chapel committee. A meaningful tradition that Gloria started over 10 years ago was the All Saints Day Chapel.

As a junior class sponsor, Gloria was in charge of the annual Pork Supper. This longtime tradition at IMS took careful and extensive planning and Gloria was always up to the task. Gloria loved her students. Getting to know students on a deeper level through small groups and Interterm (now called Service And Learning Term) allowed Gloria to feel a part of her students lives outside her classroom.

Another way she stepped deeper into the lives of IMS students was by hosting them in her home. Over the years Gloria and her husband, Galen (’68), hosted 10 exchange students, ranging in length from 7 weeks to 2 years at a time. They hope to be able to spend some time in retirement visiting their ‘children’ from all over the world.

Retirement will not slow her down. She will remain active at West Union Mennonite Church. She is also excited to continue volunteering in the community at Crowded Closet, the free lunch program, and the MCC sale. She plans to continue supporting IMS through substitute teaching. They hope to be able to spend more time with their children and grandchildren (Austin and Lydia, with 2 more grandchildren on the way) in retirement.

Gloria is certainly saddened to end her time as a faculty member at IMS. IMS has been an incredible part of her and her family’s life and will continue to be. We will miss Gloria’s dedication to the IMS community, but even though she will no longer be walking the halls on a daily basis, we know her care for us will live on and we wish her well in this new stage of life.

 

Gloria with her family. L to R: Rebecca Yoder, Nicole Yoder, Galen & Gloria, Matt, Lydia, and Maria Swartzentruber, Caleb, Austin, and Beth Yoder