Lisa Robbins knew she wanted to be a teacher from the moment her kindergarten teacher asked the class what they wanted to be when they grew up. "I said, I want to be a teacher," Lisa recalls. "My mom said, 'Well, if you study hard and you keep working at it, I'm sure you will be.' And I never really faltered from that."

Thirty-five years later, after retiring in May 2021, Lisa can look back on a career that perfectly fulfilled that kindergarten dream—and then some.

A 1982 Vandalia graduate, Lisa spent her entire teaching career in the district that shaped her, building the educational foundation for countless children while becoming a cornerstone of the community herself. She began at Lincoln School in 1986, joining Beulah Brown as only the second kindergarten teacher to ever work in that historic classroom.

"It was kind of bittersweet when we closed Lincoln school," Lisa reflects. "Beulah Brown and I were the only two teachers that ever taught kindergarten in that room. I taught 16 years there." When Lincoln closed, she moved to the current elementary building, where she continued her kindergarten mission for another 19 years.

Lisa's approach to teaching kindergarten went far beyond ABCs and 123s. She understood that she was, as she puts it, "the foundation of the educational system. It's like building a house. If you don't have a good solid foundation, you don't have a sturdy house."

Her classroom featured a "peace table" where conflicts were resolved through structured conversation. "If they were arguing over something, we had to come back," she explains. Students learned to take turns speaking while holding a stuffed animal, identify specific problems, and work toward solutions. Most importantly, they learned authentic reconciliation. "When you hurt someone's feelings, you have to say you're sorry and mean it. And not just say, I'm sorry. You need to say what you're sorry for. And then you need to say, I accept your apology" rather than dismissing harmful behavior with "that's okay."

This dedication to building character alongside academics reflected Lisa's core belief: "If you learn nothing else from me, I hope you learn to treat others the way you want to be treated. If the whole world would have that mindset, we would live in a much kinder, gentler world."

Her commitment to students extended far beyond the classroom walls. "I taught 35 years and I've attended 19 funerals," she says, her voice carrying the weight of those losses. "But that's what life in communities like ours is. When those parents are hurting, I'm hurting right along with them, because I did. I loved their kids for nine months."

Lisa's connection to water and teaching began early. At 15, encouraged by a lifeguard who noticed her swimming ability, she began lifeguard training. "I said, I really think I want to teach little kids how to swim. And there again, that teaching part of me at 15 just spoke out to me." She's been a lifeguard and swim instructor longer than she was a classroom teacher, managing Vandalia's community pool during summers and teaching lifeguard certification and CPR.

This year, however, the pool faces challenges. A severe hailstorm created over 600 holes in the liner, likely keeping it closed for the season despite Lisa's advocacy efforts. "I've been trying to advocate to get it open all summer, but we still can't find a commercial liner person who's not available until August," she explains with the persistence of someone accustomed to solving problems.

Growing up in Vandalia, Lisa was shaped by teachers like Chuck Ruot, whose fifth-grade classroom put him "on a pedestal" in her young mind. "I wanted to inspire kids the way he made me feel," she says. Her mother, Linda Leidner, became deeply involved in the schools after volunteering frequently, eventually working as a librarian and in various support roles. The family joke became how their identities shifted: "Everybody knew her as, oh, you're Lisa's mom. Then after I got out of Washington and went to junior high and high school, they'd say, oh, you're Mrs. Leidner's daughter."

After losing both parents—her mother in 2013 and her father on Veterans Day—Lisa has found joy in her role as the beloved aunt to her siblings' children. Her sister's twins, Matthew and Morgan, became her "M&Ms," leading to regular "M&M nights" in Highland where she combined fun with education, teaching strategy games like Trouble and Uno. "My nieces and nephews, I've taught them too well. They can now kick my booty."

Recently, her great-nephews moved back to Vandalia from the Bourbonnais area, bringing new excitement to family gatherings and giving Lisa fresh opportunities to share her love of learning with the next generation.

Retirement has brought unexpected freedom. Lisa and her husband—a retired plumber who owned his own business—now travel extensively, with camping trips and adventures that would have been impossible during the school year. "My husband and I love traveling, and so he loves that I don't have a schedule anymore," she explains.

Yet Lisa continues teaching through tutoring three days a week, maintaining the flexibility to prioritize family while still nurturing young minds. She also travels to teach CPR certification to various groups, from daycare workers to medical professionals.

Looking back on her career, Lisa sees her work as more than a job—it was a calling. "I just believe it's what God had planned for me to do," she says simply. Her legacy lives in the hundreds of students who learned not just academic skills but life lessons about kindness, conflict resolution, and treating others with respect.

"I love Vandalia," Lisa says, reflecting on a lifetime spent in service to her community. "There's people and there's people who care about you. Here it's not just your close-knit friends, it's the whole community that pitches in."

From that kindergartener who dreamed of teaching to the respected educator who shaped a generation, Lisa Robbins embodies the best of what happens when passion meets purpose in a community that values both learning and love.