SUMNER – Becoming a teacher was a natural thing for Bea Paradis.

When she was growing up in Lewiston, she often helped her older sister, who was a teacher, by correcting papers.

She still has a bracelet with a tiny apple attached, given to her by her sixth-grade teacher as a thank-you for helping in the classroom.

Now, after 29 years, Paradis is retiring from the job she loves. All but four years have been at Hartford-Sumner Elementary School.

“I love working with the young children. You never know what kinds of stories they will tell and to see that joy,” the first grade teacher said.

Not only will she be leaving a job she loves, but she’ll also be launching a new life.

She will remarry this summer, then move to Windsor.

Her new life, though, promises to give her more time to visit with family and friends, and to catch up on her reading.

“I’ve always been so busy with school,” said the Wayne resident.

Prior to coming to the Hartford-Sumner school, Paradis taught upper elementary grades at Our Lady of the Rosary School in Lewiston.

Since arriving at Hartford-Sumner, Paradis has taught first and second-graders.

“As a teacher, I want to build confidence and self-esteem. I’m very big on manners. I love to hear the children say good morning to me and to each other. This is our little sweet family,” she said of the 14 first-graders in this year’s class.

“I’m the youngest of a big family. I think of these children as my younger brothers and sisters,” she said.

She’ll also miss the notes and pictures many of the children create for her, the visits by former pupils, many of whom now have children of their own at the school, as well as the teaching community she has been a part of for so long.

“We’re always helping each other,” she said.

When not visiting or reading, Paradis loves to fish, something she does as often as possible, as well as play ping-pong and pool.

Once settled in Windsor, she expects she will do some substitute teaching.

Paradis graduated from Lewiston High School and the University of Maine at Farmington. One of her sons, Ben, graduates from UMF in May. He plans to become a high school teacher. Her second son, Brad, is a student at the University of Maine in engineering.

SAD 39 plans to honor retirees at a celebration later this year.