Covina teacher who helped immigrants transition into America retires after 52 years
It's a well-deserved retirement for teacher Cornella Ver Halen who dedicated her life to helping immigrants assimilate into the American lifestyle.
While the 90-year-old educator has helped people with their English pronunciations for five decades, her teaching career started with sewing.
"I learned to sew because we had not enough money," Ver Halen said.
She honed her skills enough to be a voluntary sewing instructor at the Adult School for the Covina-Valley Unified School District. She quickly became staff.
"I found out that I liked it," she said. "And that I really liked it. And then they gave me money."
With thousands of refugees fleeing to America following the end of the Vietnam War, the need for English as a Second Language teachers exploded. Feeling the need to help, Cornella Ver Halen shifted her career to help immigrants adjust to their new American life.
"Saigon fell, and we got thousands of Vietnamese," said Ver Halen.
The mom of four boys also took dozens of students into her home, many of whom needed a place to stay as they got their bearings. She also took them on field trips.
"I took them to the mountains," she said. "I took them to the beach. I took them to Magic Mountain, Sea World — wherever they wanted to go. We would just meet on a Sunday, carpool it and go."
However, after 52 years, Ver Halen, known as Miss Cornella, decided to hang it all up and retire.
"It's going to be very difficult to replace her," said principal Virginia Espana. "Our community members are just so blessed to have her and to know that she was the one who kept on going and is here today."
Even after she gets her final paycheck from the school on Dec. 22, Miss Cornella says she is not going to stop teaching.
"I will edit the writing, help you with your English, this group here has already booked Mondays and Wednesdays when I retire for conversation," she said.
She says she'll forever be thankful to her students who are constant reminders of her passion, the gift of teaching.
"It's not just me teaching them," she said. "It's them teaching me. It might be a hard lesson. It might be an easy lesson. I might get frustrated and impatient, but I learned to be patient then."
