Duckham spends large amounts of her free time reading. Dealing with fewer classes this year, Duckham’s bookshelf at home has seen more use. “I call every book my favorite, but not truly every book [is]. I wrote my dissertation on Herman Melville, so I guess I’d have to say Moby Dick, is definitely one of my all time favorites,” Duckham said. “I really do love both British and American novelists of the 19th century. I tend to prefer nonfiction over fiction. For some reason, I think there’s so many great non fiction writers, and I love the whole idea of something being true. (Photo Courtesy of Janet Duckham)

Since 1994, five different presidents have served their terms. Since 1994, the first smartphone has turned into a device with the power to incapacitate a generation. Since 1994, the facilities at Ladue High School have grown, and thousands of students have passed through the building’s ever-changing halls. 

One individual however, has remained a fixture within the grey, white and blue halls of Ladue for all of this time. That individual is English teacher Janet Duckham.

“My very first year here was [in] the fall of 1994,” Duckham said. “That was my very first full time teaching job. But, I left after the end of that year–because I had an opportunity to get my PhD, which I knew would be harder for me to complete if I was married with kids. I thought, ‘I’m young, I’m available,’ I’ll do it now–then about five, six years later, I returned.”

Given Duckham’s lengthy tenure at Ladue, many classes that are mainstays of the English department were developed under her guidance.

“AP Lang was always close to my heart, because I had a chance to develop it from the ground up,” Duckham said. “So it always kind of felt like my baby… Another thing I really enjoyed about it was it gave me the opportunity to work with a lot of different younger teachers. I probably had 10 different partners, by the time I finished.”

Throughout the span of her career, Duckham has seen many changes in the ways that kids have relationships with reading. She feels that the advent of technology’s exponential advancement has fundamentally changed the way that students interact with literature.

“I am kind of concerned,” Duckham said. “I’m concerned about AI, [and] the whole idea of robot teachers. I would hate for the humanities to continue to be devalued. Politically, I’m concerned about freedom of speech and authoritarianism. When I began my career, I never would have dreamed that the profession and young people would be in the position that we’re now in.” 

However, it isn’t all doom and gloom to Duckham. She still sees the potential for a better future with integration of technology into student’s lives.

“I just read an article today about how people are just now getting more committed to protecting kids from screens,” Duckham said. “It took us a few years to realize how they can be so dangerous. My hope is that that knowledge firms up and people get better, just like they would for any other damaging food, smoking or [anything] that there would be guidelines about, at, introducing [technology] at the right age. Making sure that its use enhances learning of language, math and everything else.”

Outside of school, Duckham spends her time in other pursuits away from teaching. 

“One thing I need a lot of when I’m done at school is quiet time,” Duckham said. “Every day I take my dog for a walk, and I just… really love being outside and just being totally quiet, talking to nobody, and then reading too. It used to be when my daughter was young, I’d be taking her to games, practices and things. But now that she’s off to college, I’m able to read. So I always have some kind of book.”

After retiring last year, Duckham returned to Ladue to be a long-term sub for first-year English teacher Marisa Tucker.

“The opportunity [drew me],” Duckham said. “There were two maternity situations in the English department, which is sort of surprising. But, I knew I was it was recent enough that I still might have had some teaching chops in me. It was a great opportunity for me to get back in the classroom and see young people. And then, of course, the staff here–I just love seeing them. So it was sort of the perfect one more round, and I’m not sure it’ll work out again. So I’m just trying to savor the experience.”

Regardless of whether Duckham returns again or not, her impact on teaching at Ladue is undeniable.

“Maybe by the time we get another pregnancy, I might be a little too old for high school kids, but maybe not,” Duckham said. “I think I’m just going to take each year as it comes. I’m trying to do some of my own writing, so that’s going to be a priority. But, I would never say never, because I do love teaching so much.”