Students will remember her passion for education
By Emily Reed
Not every professor can motivate their students to be ready to learn during an 8 a.m. class, but Dr. Kim Forget, assistant professor of education, has been doing just that.
This year, Forget will be retiring after 36 years in the field of education.
“She definitely brought us to life, especially for having such an early class. She really motivated us to learn even when we didn’t want to. I know I hated 8 a.m. classes but taking hers was easy. I never struggled getting up and going to it,” said Caris Wadding, a senior majoring in education.
Thirteen of her years in education have been spent at the University of Findlay. Forget is a lifelong resident of the Findlay area and has spent many years as a teacher in local schools.
She then spent time working for Hancock County as a curriculum coordinator. During this time, she began to work along with the university. After five years of this dual career, Forget made the decision to work full time for the university. The transition from primary to secondary education was easy as Forget said, “learners are learners.”
Forget has held many roles in the college of education as both professor and adviser.
Forget has been teaching classes about reading and literacy. She has also been the team leader for students majoring in Adolescent/Young adult, Middle Childhood, and Multi-Age education. In 2012, Forget helped reinstate The Kappa Delta Pi: Phi Gamma Charter, an honor society for education majors at The University of Findlay. She has since been a faculty counselor for the KDP charter.
According to Forget, literacy is a key part of any content area and this belief shows through her teaching.
One of the reasons she felt drawn to the university was for its emphasis on community. Forget had a part in the committee to develop the Symposium for Scholarship and Creativity and was the chair for the Symposium in 2014. She has been a make-up artist for the school musicals and been involved in Mazza’s Funday Sunday events.
Forget has had an impact on the educational career of many students through her passionate teaching and encouragement.
“She made learning fun and motivated me to be a better educator too,” said Wadding.
Forget said her role at the university can be replaced, but many of her students would say that the role that she has played in their education cannot be replaced.