A teacher has spent months hand-sewing a personalized quilt for every student in her class, sending each child off with a keepsake as she ends a 35-year career.
Kim Rohlf, a second-grade teacher at Westwood Elementary School in Ankeny, Iowa, made the quilts in the run-up to her retirement and handed them out before her final day in the classroom. For Rohlf, the project brought together two of her great loves.
“I love teaching and I love quilting, so it gives a little to share my love with them as they leave and I end my chapter of teaching,” she said.
No two quilts are exactly alike. Some are built around holidays or birthdays, others around a child’s interests, from dinosaurs to sports. Rohlf designed each one with a particular student in mind, and added a personal note to go with it.
Second-grader Gabrielle noticed how much thought had gone into the details.
She said: “Every quilt is made based on our personalities. She would add special details about us and she would make sure that it is very nice.”
Saying goodbye, Rohlf admitted, has been more emotional than she ever planned for.
“It’s very heartwarming, it makes this harder than I thought it was going to be, but I’m excited to start that new chapter in my life,” Rohlf said. “I thought it could just be at the end of the year and walk out the door. They’re making it a little bit harder than that.”
After 35 years, her lessons will stay with her students. So will the quilts, stitched with their names, their interests, and a goodbye they can keep.
