Janet Chandler is beginning a school year unlike any she has experienced in nearly half a century. For the first time in 47 years, she will not be returning to a Hamilton Southeastern classroom.

The recently retired Hamilton Southeastern High School teacher joined me for a LarryInFishers.com podcast conversation about her career, the district’s remarkable growth and the importance of preparing students to become informed citizens.

When Chandler began teaching at HSE in 1979, the high school enrolled about 500 students and much of the surrounding area was rural. Roads such as 116th Street were two lanes, and Chandler recalled driving past cows and horses on her way to school. Finding a nearby gas station was considered a welcome development.

By her final year, HSE High School had grown to nearly 3,500 students, and the district had added a second large high school in Fishers.

Chandler said that growth created more opportunities for students, including additional Advanced Placement and dual-credit courses. What disappeared, she said, was the small-school atmosphere in which nearly everyone knew everyone else.

During her career, Chandler taught French and social studies before moving exclusively to social studies. She also coached HSE’s We the People and Mock Trial teams, helping students research complicated civic questions, defend their conclusions and respond to challenging questions.

“I’m not going to tell you what to think,” Chandler said of her approach to teaching. “I’m not going to tell you what I believe, because that’s not relevant to you. What’s relevant is that I give you the tools so that you can figure out how to do research, how to support your beliefs — or change your beliefs.”

Chandler also served for many years as president of the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association, representing the district’s teachers. She first became association president during the 1983–84 school year, when HSE teacher salaries ranked near the bottom among Indiana school districts.

She recalled difficult contract negotiations, including years when teachers returned to school without an agreement and one bargaining session that continued from Friday afternoon into Saturday.

Our conversation also covers changes to Indiana’s collective bargaining laws, teacher compensation and retention, and Chandler’s concern that the teaching profession is no longer valued as highly as it should be.

Her advice to new teachers is to expect the first year to feel overwhelming and to establish a work-life balance, while recognizing that much of the preparation and grading cannot be completed during the regular school day.

Chandler is now considering volunteer opportunities and ways to remain involved in the community. She also plans to spend more time reading while remaining open to whatever comes next.

The LarryInFishers podcast series is sponsored by Citizens State Bank.

Listen to my full conversation with Janet Chandler at this link or the link below.