In Search of the Human Spirit

Lily Kaufman has decided to call it quits at the age of 85.  The preschool teacher nicknamed the Mighty Midget (she’s barely 5 feet tall) has retired from the Castro Valley, California preschool she has worked at for over 40 years.

Kaufman was a housewife and stay at home Mom.  Then at the age of 49 she decided to go to college.  She got her certification and was able to teach at a preschool.

She was considered an expert in handling problem kids.  That may come from the fact that growing up she was an outsider.  She lived in a German copmmunity but wasn’t accepted because she was half-German.

Kaufman says this about her talents, “Now I can relate to kids, and nurture them in a way they should be.  They need to be loved, regardless of their background or ethnicity, or whether they are clean and well-dressed or kind of dirty”

Some think Kaufman’s key is she just loves kids.