>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

POISED TO TEACH KINDERGARTEN: Karen Tannehill started a kindergarten of her own. Through a special arrangement with Think Link, the children's learning center located on Washington Avenue in La Grande, Tannehill will open Just Imagine! in September. (The Observer/CHRIS BAXTER).

n the best of worlds, people do the jobs they love, in places they call home.

But it doesn't always work out that way.

Sometimes, the market for a certain job gets tight. The job search widens to other counties, other states.

An offer from faraway comes in, and there's a painful choice to make. The choice is all about tearing up roots and starting over.

Karen Tannehill went through it this year.

At the age of 39, she had finally achieved a cherished goal, earning a teaching credential from Eastern Oregon University.

It qualified her to do the one thing she wants to do more than anything else: teach kindergarten.

But she discovered that in Union County, where school districts struggle constantly with budget problems, jobs for kindergarten teachers are scarce.

So she sent resumes out of state. An offer appeared, finally, from Idaho.

The last thing she and her husband Brian wanted to do was relocate. But they had to consider it.

"We were sick about it," Tannehill said. "I didn't want to go outside the area, but I didn't want my teaching ability to go to waste, either."

The solution? Tannehill decided to start a kindergarten of her own, right here in La Grande.

Through a special arrangement with Think Link, the children's learning center located on Washington Avenue in La Grande, Tannehill will open Just Imagine! in September.

"I'm calling it that because of the way I want to teach," Tannehill said. "I want it to be place where children's' imagination will be encouraged."

Tannehill was born in Sacramento and moved with her family to La Grande at an early age. She attended public schools, graduating from La Grande High in 1984. She married not long after.

She and Brian had a daughter, Alli, and Tannehill put off college to devote herself to motherhood. She also worked at a variety of part-time jobs.

In 1998, she landed a position as a kindergarten aide at Greenwood Elementary School. She felt as if she had found her place and purpose in life.

"Kindergarten is my passion," she said. "To me, it's all magic. I love the age group. They're so excited to learn."

She decided to pursue a teaching degree at Eastern, and received help from Dorothy Heagy, a longtime family friend. Heagy, a retired educator now living in Coquille, offered to finance her education.

"Dorothy believes in education, and in women. She gives scholarships, and decided this time it would be nice to give one to someone she knows," Tannehill said.

Tannehill began studies at Eastern in 2000. As an older student, she had a little trouble getting used to the routine.

"In the beginning it was rough. I felt out of place and I cried every day. My daughter was in high school and she helped me with the biology. That was a little strange," she said.

Things smoothed out after Tannehill got into the education program and went to work on her major. She graduated last year, and began looking forward to her new career.

But she quickly discovered how tight the local job market is. She applied with all the area school districts, got a couple of interviews but no offers.

In the absence of full-time work, she subbed for various school districts, including La Grande, Elgin and North Powder.

Tannehill said North Powder's all-day kindergarten, the only one of its kind in the area, was a revelation to her.

"North Powder gave me the vision of what you can do when you have kids all day, and in smaller groups," she said.

At home, she and her husband mulled over the job problem, and seriously considered taking the offer from Idaho.

They also explored the possibility of starting a new kindergarten, one that would meet state standards for learning. Just Imagine! started to take shape.

Taking her North Powder experience into account, Tannehill decided her sessions would go all day, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

"It's not a cutting edge idea, but it is something that isn't available currently in Union County," she said. "I don't think it's too much a a stretch for the kids. There will be a rest time, and as the year progresses the rest time will get shorter."

She said kids will do "the usual kindergarten things," and make discoveries about reading, writing and and math through structured play.

Tannehill presented the idea for an all-day kindergarten to Think Link, which hosts many children's educational programs including ELF Pre-School and World Passport and Robotics.

The Think Link board decided Just Imagine! would be a good fit.

"The board is constantly looking for new programs that will enrich the lives of children in the community," said Shalem O'Rourke of the Think Link board of directors.

At present, Tannehill is busy with preparations for her fall opening.

Part of the task involves getting familiar with a wealth of teaching equipment and materials given her by Kit Morello, a retired Greenwood elementary teacher.

Tannehill also is looking after the business aspects of the project — though in that area, she's a reluctant warrior.

"I don't like to think of school as a business, but if I'm charging money, I guess that's what it is," she said.

She added, "If it's what it takes to live in Union County and teach, I can live with it."

For more information on Just Imagine!, call Tannehill at 963-8650.