A longtime administrator in Waterloo celebrated her retirement with the end of the fall semester, having spent 30 years in the school district dedicated to making sure every student received the support they needed.

Special education coordinator Julie Bender was recognized by Waterloo Superintendent of Schools Brian Charron at the district’s December board meeting last week, with Charron remarking she “has been a blessing to this community and our school district.” 

Bender’s time with the district began in 1995, but before that, she recalled moving around quite a bit in her early years thanks to her father’s military background.

She began her higher education at Milligan College in Tennessee before moving on to Illinois State University. Graduating with a degree in special education, Bender later received her masters in administration at University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Her original interest didn’t lie in special education as she started university with a focus in elementary education.

During her education, Bender found herself caring for the child of one of her professors, the mother often attending sign language classes as the child happened to have hearing issues.

“I started babysitting for one of my professors who had a daughter who was hearing impaired,” Bender said. “That’s when I switched my major to special education.”

While working with a child who happened to have special needs was perhaps the most impactful experience in deciding her ultimate career, Bender also suggested it was a fundamental part of her nature – a drive to serve – that pushed her toward special education.

“My personality, I guess, who I am, has always been someone that wants to help, whatever it is,” Bender said. “Whether it’s helping a friend, helping a coworker, my nature is always wanting to help. That piece of it, that’s something so embedded in me and ingrained in me. Why not choose that as a profession?”

Bender’s teaching career began in Livingston, though this was very short-lived at only half a year.

She further cut her teeth with a two-year stint at Lake of the Ozarks, followed by a year in a special school district in the St. Louis area, though it was ultimately in Waterloo that she found a longtime home and career.

Coming to the community as her oldest child started kindergarten, Bender began as a special education teacher at Waterloo High School, serving in this position for four years.

In 1999, she moved to the position of special education coordinator, where she has worked ever since.

Her time in this role has involved a range of responsibilities that have grown over the years – she is set to be replaced by two new members of administration.

Bender spoke about how she’s had a hand in programming and hiring, spending plenty of time in meetings and contending with the many different mandates that have accumulated over the years.

She also noted her work with district nurses and paraprofessionals, also pointing to how she has assisted with the intake of students as the early childhood population in the district has grown.

Looking back on her time with the district, Bender expressed a fondness for the day-to-day, particularly during her relatively brief tenure as teacher.

High school, she said, turned out to be her favorite grade level to teach given how she was able to build a strong rapport with students.

“I did enjoy going to school every day,” Bender said. “Some people have a need to fulfill a need for themselves. I was able to do that in this profession. It’s very satisfying, and I feel like I formed great relationships with my students.”

From faculty to administration, Bender pointed to former superintendent Billy Taylor, who encouraged her to step into the role of coordinator.

Bender also spoke to the sort of personal touch she has strived to provide while in this role.

“Whenever I’m meeting with parents or a student, I’m always thinking ‘What if this were my child? How would I want this situation to be handled?’” Bender said. “I always ask myself, as a parent, ‘How would I feel about this?’”

With Charron singing her praises last week, two of her coworkers – curriculum coordinators John Schmieg and Jessica Washausen – also shared their thoughts on her work ethic and the energy she brought to the office each day.

Schmieg suggested that Charron described Bender quite succinctly in his comments at the school board meeting, emphasizing the effort she put into making sure each student got what they needed for their education.

“She worked hard to get the resources for kids, and she lost sleep over providing resources,” Schmieg said. “She just keeps working until the kids get what they need.”

Per Schmieg, Bender also played a major role in making the district administrative office what it is.

“When it comes to our office here, particularly the superintendent’s office, Julie is like the glue that holds the office together,” Schmieg said. “She keeps us laughing, she keeps it light. She’s very giving, and I’m just gonna miss working with her day-to-day. Those are truly shoes that cannot be filled here.”

Washausen spoke to her personal relationship with Bender, particularly focusing on the impact she had sharing her experience.

“I really appreciate Julie kind of as a mentor,” Washausen said. “She’s really worked hard throughout this district to build the special education program that we have. I’ve looked to her as a mentor, and she’s guided me through very difficult situations and has always been supportive to staff and families and was able to navigate those complicated and difficult situations.”

Washausen also commended Bender’s dedication to her job, crediting her for attracting a number of families to the district.

“She’s very committed to supporting families, so much so that we’ve had some families with special needs students move to the district so that they could get the services and quality of education that they deserve, and that’s all because of Julie,” Washausen said.

As she spent her last day in the district on Friday, Bender offered high praise for the folks she’s worked closely with over the years, particularly Charron.

“I have worked with an amazing group of people, and Brian Charron has been such a wonderful superintendent to work for,” Bender said. “He has always been 110 percent supportive of me and always been one that I can go to and bounce ideas off of and just talk through things.”

As she looks to enjoy some newfound free time, Bender said she’s most eager to get her home organized and rest for a bit, though she might well end up taking care of students in a different capacity down the line.

“I feel like I wanna have a year where I just do whatever, and then figure out what I want to do after that,” Bender said. “I’ve toyed with the idea of student advocacy as far as when parents need help navigating the special education process in a school. Sometimes they will have an advocate that has knowledge of special education that they will bring to a meeting to help them navigate that process.”