Everyone who knows Bill Green is aware that come June 6, he will be a man with no class and no principals.

That's because Green, known as "Mr. Green," will be retiring from teaching after having served the Suttons Bay district for 38 years.

“We have, and always have had, great kids around here, and I’m going to miss them,” said Green as he sat in class and chatted about his years as a sixth grade science teacher. Moments later, the students headed out for their eagerly awaited lunch period and recess time.

“Bye, Mr. Green, we’ll see ya later,” they said, all smiles and friendly waves as they headed out the classroom door. “Are you going to come out and play with us today?”

“We’ll see. I have to get a few things done, first,” he answered.

Students let it be known that one reason they like Green is that he plays ball with them on the playground.

“Mr. Green is the best teacher ever,” said Mathew Pigg, a polite boy of 12 years. “He makes learning fun, but you also know the rules and he’s not mean about it.”

“Yeah. We like his pondering corner best. It’s neat,” said Allison TwoCrow.

The pondering corner is a section in Green’s classroom that includes a type of homemade pond surrounded by plants. It is a big plastic tub with a water pump in the middle.

“We love to work in the pondering corner because the sound of the water and the plants nearby with the fish swimming around makes it seem like you’re outside, and you can do work better there,” said Jake Kiessel.

The students also agreed that they enjoyed the unit involving the use of the VandeGraff Generator. After a student touches the generator, static produced from the machine makes one’s hair stand on end.

“When we studied magnetism, Mr. Green let us have a fishing pole derby where we ‘fished for magnets’ and then studied the cause and effects,” said Sarah Gibson.

Green shies from attention drawn to him about his impending retirement. He’s quiet, confident and calm in his demeanor, even at the end of the school year, and playfully teases the students in his classroom. They tease back, a friendly sort of puppy-learning-from-the-master type relationship that seems to keep the learning environment not only friendly, but rigorous.

Kevin O’Neil, who is now completing his junior year at Suttons Bay High School, called Green one of his favorite teachers. “Mr. Green told jokes a lot and he made learning fun. He’s a very likeable teacher and he got along with anybody no matter what,” he said.

“He made learning science fun,” added freshman Kayleigh Schneider. “He had really funny drawings on his work and I liked the way he walked down the hall singing Dippity-Do-Da.”

Although he’ll miss teaching, Green said he is looking forward to traveling with his wife, Joan, especially during the winter months.

He’ll also have time to work his other job – he’s a farmer, and always has been. He grew up on a farm south of Suttons Bay, where his father, the late Robert Green, grew cherries for a number of years. After graduating from Suttons Bay, he attended Central Michigan University and within a short time he knew teaching was the career for him, even though it seemed to be a woman’s world.

“I was thrilled when I got this teaching job in Suttons Bay back in 1969. I made $6,700 my first year,” said Green.

He found teaching the perfect career because he has been able to work his family farm in the summer yet still have a good career during the rest of the year.

Currently, he is tending crops of corn, oats, and hay – nearly 100 acres – and this year for the first time without his dearly missed father, who died about a year ago.

“It’s quite strange being out in the field without my dad around. It’s a lot of work, too, but I still love it, and I look forward to being able to get on top of it more in my retirement,” he said.

Green said there have been some significant changes over his 38 years of teaching – most of them good.

“Technology has helped teachers so much. I can remember having to spend a lot of time with the old mimeograph machine – ink on the hands, terrible smell, wet, and labor intense. Now I can just pop my work into a machine and it will sort it, copy it and staple in one fell swoop. Amazing,” Green said.

He uses technology daily in his classroom, something which he says students respond very well to. “Our ISD (intermediate school district) has so many wonderful materials available to teachers and students with a click of a button,” he said.

He also likes the way that teachers now are expected to present materials in various ways in order to meet the learning styles of the students.

“It used to be the expected way that the teacher would stand and deliver the material, and the students were expected to sit quietly and take in the material. Now it is recognized that many students don’t learn well that way, so teachers are presented material and have students show what they know in more creative ways, and I think that is a huge improvement over all ways of teaching,” said Green.

Suttons Bay Middle School teacher Kathy Weaver will also be retiring this year. She’s been at Suttons Bay since 1989.