Honoring 33 Years of Inspiring YoHonoring 33 Years of Inspiring Young Minds
For 33 years, one Williams Magnet School educator has dedicated her life to shaping young minds through music, resilience, and heart, a journey recently recognized by the Kansas Association of VeteranTeachers.
In 2024, Mrs. Cluke was named the Elementary nominee for Kansas Teacher of the Year, further highlighting her excellence in the classroom and leadership in fine arts education. She was also awarded the Vivian Scales Education Award for Elementary Education by Living The Dream Inc. of Topeka. An outstanding representative for the arts, Mrs. Cluke not only teaches but performs across the Topeka community, sharing her talent and passion far beyond the walls of Williams.
Her career in education spans more than three decades: two years at St. George Elementary, eight years at Ross Elementary School, and 23 years at Williams Magnet School. Though her time in the classroom would have marked 34 years, her path was unexpectedly interrupted early in her career by a serious car accident at the beginning of her second year of teaching. Following brain surgery and a long recovery from toxic shock, she stepped away for a year to heal.
That life-altering experience only strengthened her resolve.
Her inspiration to teach traces back to her mother, a nurturing, patient, and deeply compassionate woman who always dreamed of becoming a teacher or nurse. “She had a teacher’s heart,” she shares. “Patient, kind, calm, and forgiving. I strive to be like her.”
She was also profoundly influenced by her elementary teacher, Mrs. Hank, who taught her father in a one-room schoolhouse, later taught her in vacation Bible school, and impacted all of her siblings. “She embodied the characteristics of a master teacher,” she recalls. “She gave me love and a sense of belonging.”
Throughout her career, a commitment to growth has fueled her passion. An introduction to the Orff Schulwerk teaching process transformed her approach to music education and is still influencing her. She believes deeply in helping students experience joy through music, not just learning notes and rhythms, but developing a lifelong love for the art form.
“My children are my inspiration,” she says, referring to her two biological children and the hundreds of students she considers her own. “School has given me hundreds of children. They are forever my babies. I want to do better for them and continue learning and growing.”
Williams Magnet School holds a special place in her heart. She describes the staff as family, supportive, encouraging, and always ready to help. “They are your biggest cheerleader,” she says. Her own daughters experienced the “magic and wonder” of Williams as students, deepening her connection to the school community.
For those just beginning their journey in education, her advice reflects the wisdom of three decades in the classroom: take care of yourself. Maintain a healthy balance between work and personal life. Continue learning. Share your joy. Offer grace daily and often.
Most importantly, she encourages educators to approach each day with a “get to, want to, love to” mindset and to live with the determination to leave the world better than they found it.
After 33 years, her impact reaches far beyond lesson plans and performances. It lives on in generations of students who found belonging, encouragement, and a love for learning in her classroom, a legacy well worth celebrating.