Educator and Traveler is World Class Philanthropist for College of Education
Former teacher Margot Kahl, Cert. '58, M.Ed. '63, has designated a generous bequest in her trust for the Dean's Discretionary Fund in the College of Education. She views her planned gift as a way to repay Wayne State University for giving her the opportunity to find her calling in life. Teachers were in great demand in East Detroit in the mid-1950s and Margot found a position teaching first grade based on her background in psychology and social science, with the requirement that she obtain a teaching certificate as quickly as possible. "The accelerated program in Wayne State's College of Education enabled me to earn my teaching certificate while working full time, giving me the skills I needed to feel confident in the classroom," Margot said.
Margot went on to earn a masters degree in education at Wayne State. "I have always loved learning, and the instructors in the College of Education made it even more enjoyable with their very human approach to teaching," noted Margot. She taught first through fifth grades over her nearly 40-year career, spending the last 25 years in the Grosse Pointe School System. "First grade was my favorite grade because you taught them everything and they were sponges and so cute. Fourth grade was another favorite and I found my social work background very helpful, especially in redirecting feisty boys. I was so pleased when a former student came up to me years later and told me, 'You really turned me around when I had you as my fourth grade teacher,'" Margot smiled in remembering.
Margot was bitten by the travel bug when she graduated from high school and joined a group traveling to Washington, D.C. After several years of teaching, for one year she and a friend who was also an educator taught children of U. S. Army service people stationed in Germany. They traveled every weekend and Margot saw a great deal of Europe that year. Since then she has traveled over much of the world. "Especially memorable was the summer I spent in Hawaii under the auspices of San Francisco State University. Along with other courses, I decided to take basket weaving for the fun of acquiring a new skill. I also learned to make leis and grass skirts with leaves from the ti plant," said Margot, grinning mischievously.
She retired in 1992 but her travel plans were curtailed for 25 years as she cared for her aging mother. "I'm making up for it now," Margo remarked. "South Africa, Australia and New Zealand are on the list of places I want to see."
Margot is very happy to participate in supporting Wayne State through her planned gift. "The College of Education is helping to provide the base of qualified teachers for Michigan, which is crucial to the state's future," Margot said. "I believe wholeheartedly in the university's urban mission and its emphasis on the importance of faculty, student and staff diversity. Diversity has been an interest and concern for me throughout my life."