Dusty cardboard boxes piled up, forming giant mountains in the room. 93-year-old Evelyn Shea carefully sifted through decades of teaching memorabilia, pausing over letters written by former students she taught years ago — many of whom she still keeps in touch with. After teaching 33 years in the Riverside Unified School District (RUSD), Shea has accumulated more than fond memories. Looking back, her life was a continual accumulation of evidence proving that one's story is not defined by its beginnings.
Shea's early childhood was full of instability. Born in Dallas, Texas, she was adopted by a Houston couple who divorced when she was three. After bouncing between different relatives and families, she eventually moved back in with her adopted father.
Despite the straight A's Shea earned in her early education, her father suspected that her classes weren't adequately preparing her. After some quizzing, he realized that Shea didn't know as much as expected, indicating that the school wasn't challenging her. Consequently, he sent her to a convent run by around 200 nuns for 50 young girls.
"I loved [the convent]," Shea said. "I know it sounds kind of structured, and it was to a point. The nuns in the convent played softball with us and jitterbugged. Many don't know what that is, but it was very popular back then."
For Shea, the convent was the first place that felt like a true home.
"I got in trouble for climbing trees," Shea laughed. "That was something I loved to do — I was a tomboy. I didn't want to go back home when the school year ended, and they even let me stay an extra week by myself after the other girls left."
Shea later attended a Catholic boarding school in San Antonio before heading off to college.
"I think some of that resilience is innate, frankly," Shea pondered, reflecting on the motivation that sustained her through a turbulent childhood. "But also, I felt I had something to prove."
Initially, Shea took a modest job at Standard Oil in Honolulu, Hawaii. However, finding it difficult to simultaneously raise her two young sons at the time, she returned to school to earn an education degree in hopes of becoming a teacher.
Over her 33 years with RUSD, Shea taught thousands of fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade students in gifted elementary programs. Moving from Palm and Grant to Castle View Elementary, Shea realized that her most formative lessons often came from the students sitting in front of her. From humorous boys dancing hula to a Vietnamese refugee who arrived in her classroom with almost no formal schooling, Shea embraced a profound diversity of students.
"As a teacher, you constantly have to learn," Shea said. "You learn to appreciate the different cultures they come from. You also have to develop a sensitivity, in some cases, for the homes that they come from, because that influences the child in ways that the child isn't even aware of."
Known for what modern generations would consider an "old-school" approach, Shea was described by many former students as demanding yet deeply caring. In one letter she recently uncovered, a former student warned an incoming child: "She's tough. She's strict." But the student quickly followed the warning with reassurance: "It'll be worth it. You'll learn a lot."
Throughout her long career, Shea found her motivation in a simple core belief: faith in the younger generation.
"The kids made it worth it," Shea said. "They are our future, after all."
Even at 93, Shea continues to stay active in her community, volunteering with local efforts like Family Promise.
"I do what I do because I'm here and able to do it," Shea said. "I figure the good Lord left me here, so I need to do whatever He had in mind for me to do. I've supported Young Life for years — I was on the board way back when — and nowadays, I still support Family Promise."
Looking back on her life, Shea feels no regrets.
"The most important thing to me is family," Shea said.
And looking ahead toward the future generations who will carry on the legacy she built in Riverside, Shea leaves behind a simple piece of advice.
"We always talked about the three R's: reading, writing and arithmetic," Shea said. "I think we need to add two more: responsibility and respect — things that are lacking in our world today."
For Shea, the true measure of a life ultimately comes down to where it leads. Her story began with an unstable childhood, transformed into an illustrious 33-year teaching career, and expanded into a sprawling family, as well as decades of service to her community.
As Shea puts it: "What's more important than where you started is where you finish."
