It all began when she was just 40 years old. Social studies teacher Lula McCaskill started her teaching career later in life. She first started as a student teacher with Kyrie Nehls and Kristy McGuire in the fall of 2003.

“After I was a student teacher, I started at a middle school in my first two years at Westside then I came here to South,” McCaskill said.

Not only did she teach here in Nebraska but she also taught in Charleston, South Carolina, for a year in 2013 and finally came back for good to Nebraska.

From the beginning, McCaskill had set her mind on being a teacher.

When she was just a little girl, she played pretend school with her brother.

“I would make him the student and me the teacher. I always knew, but the issue was that I just wasn’t sure where to teach,” McCaskill said.

Behind every history class, there is a story. That’s why McCaskill chose to teach social studies instead of math. She believed that social studies was more than just about dates, events, and geographical boundaries, it was a canvas where personal stories, human interest, and historical events converged.

Although she found herself in the calling of education, the world of being an architect was her next choice.

“I love the architecture of different buildings, so I drew up my house plans when I was building my house,” McCaskill said.

Her go-to-subject to teach was always social studies, but if she wasn’t teaching any social studies classes she would instead choose to teach math. She shared that social studies will always be her number one to teach because it deals with people.

She laughed when asked about what was her best and worst memory of being a teacher. She voiced that her worst memory was when she was teaching at middle school where the kids weren’t behaving well.

“Teaching high school versus teaching middle school are two different things. I was overwhelmed at times. I don’t have the best memory since it’s just collective, but my times with my students are heartwarming,” McCaskill said.

McCaskill said she is choosing to retire early for a good reason: her grandchildren.

“My grandchildren are everywhere. I believe that I need to be out there helping them,” McCaskill said.

McCaskill foresees herself still teaching after retirement, she just doesn’t know where, when, or what to teach as long as it isn’t five days a week.