Kaye Haller is often the first teacher her students get to know when they begin school.

She takes great responsibility in trying to be a positive influence for her kindergarten students. A principal once offered advice that stuck with her through the years — the younger grades are not so much about what is being taught, but how the teacher makes the students feel.

“I love building that relationship with them and getting to know the students,” she said. “I want them to know that I think they can learn and that I’m not going to give up on them.”

Haller is retiring at the end of the school year after 32 years of teaching and 22 years at Muldown Elementary, mostly teaching kindergarten.

Haller said there’s nothing greater than the journey of a kindergartner — from a student who can count to five in the fall to one who can count to 100 in the spring.

“I like the freshness of kindergartners,” she said. “They are so resilient and optimistic. We work, but we play too.”

“I like seeing them learn to read and teaching them to read,” she said. “When they begin to read the world opens up for them. “

Haller grew up on a cattle ranch at Dell, a Montana town so small she said most people don’t recognize it, but attended school in nearby Lima.

During high school, she was required to give a speech and she used the opportunity to teach a skill. That, combined with her love of children, made her certain she wanted to be an educator.

She attended college at Montana State University and spent a few years as a rural teacher, including at Olney-Bissell School.

Haller said she enjoys teaching because no two days are alike and working in education means always improving on the day before.

“I’m never as good as I’ve got to be,” she said.

Her young students have taught her, as well.

“They’ve taught me how to live in the moment — learning is ongoing because there is always something new to learn,” she said.

Haller still loves teaching and says she will miss the students, but with a smile adds, “tying shoes gets old.”

In retirement, she plans to volunteer in the school and around town with things she never had time for before.