Obituary of Rebecca J. Todd

Rebecca J. Todd 1954-2016 Educated at SUNY Fredonia; where she earned a B.S in education, M. S. in reading, SAS certification, and SDA certification. She began her career at Eden Central Schools where she took on a 3rd grade class, as well as Language Arts. Next, Rebecca taught at Lakeshore Central Schools. Frontier Central was the next district that had the pleasure of having Rebecca on staff, she was an administrative intern, Reading Teacher, Language Arts Coordinator, and Director of Summer Enrichment Program. Later, she moved to Iroquois Central School District as the Principal of Elma Primary. Her first goal, among many, was to learn each child’s name; an incredible feat with 340 students at the elementary school. Each was recognized and appreciated, and known by name by Rebecca. She was responsible for a series of 5 seminars designed as an introduction to kindergarten, for the students and parents entering school for the first time. A butterfly garden and a renovated nature trail were just a few of the projects she brought to fruition. She moved on to take the role as interim Assistant Superintendent at Iroquois. With 2900 students’ districtwide, Rebecca worked tirelessly to promote student achievements, and positive relationships with staff, other administration, and parents. Sadly, she missed working with the people that gave her the most professional satisfaction, the children. As with most administrative positions, your boots are no longer “on the ground”; so she looked for something more. Rebecca was then asked to head the Reading Recovery Program for the Iroquois Central School District. So, Rebecca left New York for Ohio State University to gain her certification as a Teacher Leader. 12 months later she was back creating a Reading Recovery site for Western New York. She established training for those who were working toward their certification to teach the program, as well as implementing it at the 1st grade level at Marilla Primary. As the years progressed, more districts wanted to take full advantage of the Reading Recovery Program, which takes at risk readers who may be reading or comprehending below grade level, and raises their reading ability to at or above the current grade level. 14 districts sent teachers to be trained and certified under Rebecca’s teaching. She was responsible for 43 educators that broadened their background with the program and ion turn brought it back to their home districts to implement. Rebecca next moved to the Tonawanda City School district, as Principal of Highland Elementary. While at Highland, she created a Parent/Teacher Book Club to support families in the community. She addressed bullying by bringing a special project for the kids called “Hearts for Highland”. Under her guidance and leadership, Highland Elementary School was honored with the Blue Ribbon School Award in 2005. Being the constant wanderer Rebecca was, when the time was right, she moved on to teaching college level courses, but kept the field of study she was most comfortable with: Literacy. During her time with D’Youville College in Buffalo, New York, she taught graduate courses spanning the spectrum of reading development. Diagnostic and Prescriptive Reading, Multicultural Education, Curriculum Planning, Introduction to Reading, Reading in the Content Areas, Early Literacy Development and Children’s Literature, Syllabus development, Content Structure, and Assessment, just to name a few. Her student reviews were always positive, as was her relationship with other staff. She was an asset to the program. Medaille College was her last stop, professionally. She taught both graduate and undergraduate classes with the same tenacity as the 1st year professors. Though she was working as an adjunct, just as she did with D’Youville, Rebecca took her classes very seriously and was meticulous with her planning and execution. She was praised for the thorough and humorous approach she took in the classroom. She even adopted an alternate persona named “Priscilla”, who always told you what not to do in her hypothetical classroom group discussions. She gave her class’s interview techniques, and often bought pizza, and her class played her version of Jeopardy on the last class of a semester. She was always sympathetic to her student’s needs, and was often found at a Tim Horton’s during the week, when one of them was falling behind for a study session. Her professional accolades include a “Service Award” from the Iroquois Central School District, WNY Teacher of the Year from Canisius College, Career Woman of the Year from Angola Business and Professional Women’s Association, and the President’s Service Award from Buffalo South Phi Delta Kappa. Rebecca was knighted by the Canadian Government for her work and service in the field of education. She was also published in American Educator Magazine. She had education in her blood, and the success of others was in turn her success as well. She lifted up those who could not stand on their own, and gave those who could not speak a voice. Children at any age could connect with her on a level rarely seen, and truly beautiful to behold. She was a champion for literacy, and that passion shone through into her personal life with the relationship she had with her grandchildren. Rebecca is survived by her brother, Elmer (Elizabeth) Hesse III, her nieces Jessica, Jillian and Jordana, her only daughter, Kathryn Langdon, her three grandchildren, Chloe, Evelyn, and Ryan and her lifelong friend Linda Bergmann. She is someone admired for her conviction, and her constant drive to make a difference in the lives of children. She was truly an advocate for not only literacy, but for every child her programs helped. It gave them an appreciation for reading. She was an avid traveler to the Cape in Massachusetts. These are the things legacies are made of. Rebecca’s efforts will live on in all the students her work benefited and in the people that knew her as a warrior for reading. A Celebration of Life will be celebrated at the Eden United Methodist Church, 2820 East Church Street, Eden, NY 14057 on Sunday, January 24, 2016 at 2:00PM Arrangements entrusted to the Laing Funeral Home Inc. Eden. Words of sympathy on www.LaingFuneralHome.com