After 57 years, a ‘historic’ elementary school teacher retires but won’t be forgotten

On the last day of her 57 year teaching career for Oakland Unified School District, and for perhaps the first time ever, Arvella Hayden is late. Her signature blue Volkswagen has yet to pull into the parking lot. But that’s OK. There’s only one student in the classroom, and the entire class had their virtual kindergarten graduation ceremony over Zoom the day before. Her co-educator of 30 years, Dinah Castle Byrd, is holding things down, supervising the dozen or so students of all grades currently riding tricycles and throwing basketballs out on the yard of Martin Luther King, Jr. & Lafayette Elementary School for the last day of the 2020-21 school year. 

It’s hot, and those not playing sit under the shade of a tree to chat and do each other’s hair. Byrd is surprised by Hayden’s tardiness, considering she can’t remember Hayden ever missing a day of school.