Thomas began teaching at Shirley Township Elementary in 1959. By 1985, she had shared knitting with hundreds of children across 26 years, including every student in the 21-member third-grade class featured by The Daily News.
The tradition began as an enrichment project for a gifted student who needed additional work. Thomas later used knitting to reinforce measurement, counting, reading directions, patience and independent problem-solving. Students worked on their projects during recess, free periods or after completing regular assignments.
Thomas retired in 1993 after 34 years at Shirley Township Elementary. At that year’s sixth-grade graduation ceremony, she was identified as both a teacher and the building coordinator and presented each graduate with a dictionary from the school’s PTO.
Sources: The Daily News, April 12, 1985; The Daily News, June 10, 1993; firsthand classroom recollection supplied by former student Bruce Smith.