Five shiny compact discs dangled from the ceiling of John Ewert's math classroom Thursday at Austin High School.

On Friday he and fellow math teachers Peter DeMars and John Waterman took one down from the ceiling, marking another week complete -- another week closer to retirement.

The countdown began at the beginning of the school year for these retiring teachers when 45 CDs hung from the ceiling. They made a point to gather each Friday to take a CD down.

But don't mistake the countdown for impatience. The teachers said they have enjoyed their last year and will miss teaching and the camaraderie between the three of them. They have taught together in the Austin school district for 32 years.

"I just thought of it as kind of a celebration," DeMars said of the CD countdown.

The AHS math teachers all spent some time teaching at Ellis Middle School. Waterman started teaching in Austin in 1968, DeMars in 1969 and Ewert in 1971.

On June 6, each of them will say goodbye to AHS, their students and fellow teachers. They all happened to reach the so-called "rule of 90" in the same school year. Rule of 90 meaning their ages and years of experience add up to 90, entitling them to certain pension benefits.

Ewert deadpans that working together as been "sheer misery" before he, DeMars and Waterman break into laughter.

"Actually, I think it's been very nice," Ewert said. "We've been friends for 33 years and do social stuff together. It's a nice deal."

Peter DeMars

While teaching at Ellis, DeMars decided he wanted a different challenge.

"I had been teaching eighth grade math for 24 years," DeMars said. "I figured it was time to graduate from eighth grade."

He began teaching at AHS in 1993, mostly pre-calculus and Advanced Placement calculus.

"I really enjoyed working with those students," DeMars said. "They're very motivated and focused on their education."

Last year all of the students in his Advanced Placement class took the AP exam -- a feat in itself. Even better, all of them passed.

DeMars was adviser for the AHS Math Team for four years and has coached track and middle school wrestling, cross-country and football. In 1998, he was named Teacher of the Year.

"That was really special; when your peers feel you do a nice job," DeMars said.

In his last year, DeMars is teaching basic mathematics. Although he prefers teaching advanced courses, he has enjoyed his classes this last year.

"It's been fun to go back and revisit basic algebra," DeMars said.

In retirement, DeMars plans to teach part-time at Riverland Community College and find a part-time job in retail. His wife, Sharon, is retiring from her position as production coordinator at Cedar Valley Services on June 6, as well.

While he is looking forward to retirement, DeMars said he will miss one-on-one time with students and the faculty.

"You always miss your colleagues, being around them and having a good time," DeMars said.

John Ewert

The CDs hanging from Ewert's ceiling began as a way to mark the weeks last school year with his students. He had quite a collection of free software CDs from working in the AHS computer department and put one up at the end of each week.

At the beginning of this school year, he wasn't sure what to do with them. DeMars encouraged him to leave them up and take one down each Friday.

This year Ewert is teaching two levels of geometry, a subject he actually disliked in high school.

"I probably liked algebra more when I was a student and I end up teaching (geometry)," Ewert said, smiling.

In retirement, Ewert plans to hit the greens more often.

"Hopefully, I'll improve my golf game and not be so embarrassed," Ewert said.

Ewert has enjoyed working with DeMars and Waterman over the years.

"It's been a real pleasure teaching with the other two guys," Ewert said. "That has made the teaching experience a lot more positive."

What Ewert will miss most is the interaction with students. He sees about a 150 students a day, all with different personalities and interests.

"I think that's the hardest," Ewert said of leaving AHS.

Students have changed somewhat during the last 30 years, he said, but he thinks the changes are just a reflection of society.

"The kids now -- they've been exposed to so much more information than the kids way back then," Ewert said.

John Waterman

Math is something Waterman has always enjoyed doing, he said. And teaching is a profession he admired.

"At the time it was something that appealed to me," Waterman said of going into teaching.

This year Waterman is teaching algebra, his favorite topic.

Waterman took a teaching job at Ellis Middle School in 1968 and while in Austin met his wife and raised a daughter.

"It's just been a great area to live and work in," Waterman said.

His wife's job moved them to Rochester in 1990 and Waterman has been commuting since.

In retirement, Waterman doesn't have definite plans. He will help his daughter move to Buffalo, N.Y., this summer and plans to spend more time playing the piano and reading.

Waterman will miss his colleagues and "the students who share in my love of math."

Three weeks ago, one of his ninth grade students pointed out that his mother had Waterman when he taught seventh grade math during his first year of teaching.

"He thought that was kind of neat that his mother had me to start and he was having me at the end of my career," Waterman said.

"The DEW" is what Principal Joe Brown has named retiring trio. The nickname comes from the initials of the last names of DeMars, Ewert and Waterman.

Brown notes their distinct personalities. Ewert is the funny one, Waterman is more serious and DeMars is somewhere in between, Brown said. All, he said, are good at what they do.

"Anytime you lose three top-notch teachers like that from the same department, it leaves a hole," Brown said.

Eight teachers have been interviewed to fill the three spots. AHS also is hiring an additional math teacher because the school is increasing the math requirement for students in the ninth grade transition team. The interviewing committee's recommendations could be presented to the human resources director by Monday.

"We're hoping we are going to be fortunate to hire three teachers that will eventually become the new 'DEW,'" Brown said.

Cari Quam can be reached at 434-2235 or by e-mail at :mailto:cari.quam@austindailyherald.com