08/31/2026
🎉 25 Years of Mrs. Erisman! 🎉
This year, we are celebrating someone who has been a cornerstone of Chance Elementary School for 25 years — our very own Mrs. Erisman, school counselor.
Her CR6 story started the way the best ones do — by accident. As a broke undergrad at MU looking for affordable housing, a rental just down the street from Chance Elementary “fell into her lap.” One observation visit later, she was petitioning the university to allow her to student teach here. She was placed with Lora Buckert in 1st grade, and the rest, as they say, is history.
What has kept her here for 25 years? Before she even signed her contract, the superintendent at the time sat her down and told her about the legacy of Centralia Schools — the years of hard work and integrity behind it — and asked her if she was up to the challenge of preserving it. “That stuck with me,” she says, “and I've always felt an immense sense of loyalty and pride to be a part of it."
The most rewarding part of her job? Running into former students who bring their own kids to Chance. “My grandstudents,” as she calls them. She admits the first few times a child told her “my mom says you were her 1st grade teacher,” it was “a real shot to the ego.” But she's made her peace with it — and has come to see it as one of the greatest gifts of building a career in the same place it began.
Her advice to new teachers is pure gold: “When a group of veteran teachers comes to you and wants to adopt you as one of their own, let them. They have wisdom that college classrooms cannot teach.”
What does she like to do outside of school? She keeps it simple — “mostly dress like a hobo and drink a lot of coffee.” ☕😄
And her classroom theme song? An equal split between 'Lean on Me' and 'Crazy Train', depending on the day. Honestly, same.
Congratulations on 25 incredible years, Mrs. Erisman. Centralia R-VI is better because you chose to stay. 🐾❤️
