Kathrine Thomson, a history teacher at Pueblo South High School, might have quit after her first year of teaching if she hadn’t been so stubborn.

Fresh out of college, only three or four years older than some of her students, Thomson felt overwhelmed throughout that first year, she said.

“Frankly, after that first year, I wasn’t going to come back,” she said. “But I refused to go down in defeat. I came back for a second year out of pure stubbornness.”

Thomson returned to South for her second year in the fall of 1969. Richard Nixon was president, the U.S. was still embroiled in the fateful Vietnam war, and Neil Armstrong had become the first person to walk on the moon.

This year, Thomson began her 58th year at Pueblo South.

“What keeps me here? The kids,” she said.

A native of Salida, Thomson had originally planned to teach for three years to save money for law school.

“My father was in the legal profession, and I thought that would be my path as well,” she said.

At the time, Pueblo South was practically filled to bursting, with an enrollment of about 2,400 students — roughly triple the current enrollment of 795.

“It was wall-to-wall students,” Thomson recalled. “You could barely move in the halls. The classes were extremely large; a small class would be about 35 students.”

Returning to South despite a chaotic first year, Thomson began developing her teaching style and getting to know the students. But she didn’t begin to hit her stride until about her fifth year, she said.

“Your first year of teaching is just survival,” she said. “The second and third year, you’re learning and developing. By the fifth year, you’re really teaching.”

A funny thing happened during those first few years. Thomson began to fall in love with the job, and with her students.

“The kids grow on you like fungus,” she said.

In a career that has spanned nearly six decades, Thomson has seen 14 superintendents, numerous principals, thousands of students and staggering technological advances.

“Technology has its good points and bad points,” she said.

“The cellphone, for instance. Students get their hands wrapped around that phone, and they have a hard time giving it up. They don’t know how to talk to each other, because they are too involved with their phones. They’re more likely to text each other, from a few feet away, than have a face-to-face conversation.”

While cellphones can be a nuisance, they do have their uses, Thomson said.

“One of the good things is that, when I write notes on the board, they can take a picture of it and review it later,” she said.

While many teachers have transitioned to dry-erase whiteboards, Thomson still uses a chalkboard.

“The chalkboard still works for me,” she said. “It’s not that I care one way or another. It’s just that I’ve never felt the need to use a whiteboard.”

When other teachers move to dry-erase boards, they no longer need chalk, so they donate their remaining chalk to the one person who can still put it to use. Thomson said she probably has enough to last the rest of her career.

“I’ve got a cupboard full of chalk,” she said, laughing. “I might have enough for another 50 years!”

In a school that has seen many changes over the years, Thomson has been a constant. Not only has she taught students whose parents — and grandparents — once sat in her classroom, she has had several former students return to Pueblo South as teachers or staff members. Current Athletic Director Chris James, coach/educator Ryan Goddard and educators Karen Olson and Kristin Graham-Bieniewicz once sat in Thomson’s classroom.

“Ms. Thomson has been a true cornerstone of South High School for many years,” said Principal Michael Kovac. “Her commitment to our school community is unmatched, and her positive influence continues to shine brightly throughout South High School, leaving a lasting impact on everyone she meets.”

Thomson rejects the idea that modern students are somehow more troublesome than the kids of the past.

“I always hear people saying the kids are worse now. They’re not,” she said. “Kids are still kids; they’ll still test you, and they try to get away with whatever they can. If anything, I think the kids are more polite now than when I started. They’re more caring. They are kinder to each other, and to everybody else.”

After nearly six decades of teaching, Thomson still draws inspiration from her current and former students, she said.

“Seeing the moment when a student finally ‘gets it’ and everything becomes clear, that never gets old,” she said. “And I’ve had many kids, who have gone on to be successful, come back to thank me. That makes me feel good.”

At 79, Thomson has no immediate plans to retire. As long as she feels fine physically, she will keep teaching, she said.

“I’ll retire eventually,” she said. “But I’m not in a rush. South is a great community, and I love it here.”