HARTMANN BUILDS FOUNDATION AT TRINITY

The tips of Robert Hartmann's fingers came together in steeple-like symmetry as he weighed a question about his retirement as principal of Trinity Lutheran School.

"Teaching and being a principal is all I've ever done, but I don't leave with any sense of sadness or regret," Hartmann said. "When you leave on your own terms, it becomes a good feeling."

Perhaps it was fitting the man with a deep appreciation of music and sports exited amid a crescendo of community appreciation. The Chamber of Commerce named him Teacher of the Year.

"That is an award that can go to any educator, public or private, so it does mean a lot to me," he said. The only other profession he considered was that of a mechanic. Instead he opted for "taking apart the nuts and bolts of knowledge."

After 25 years as principal of Trinity Lutheran, Hartmann, 61, has built a smooth-running program with just the right no-nonsense nuts and bolts. This becomes the true measure of his contribution.

He will be honored for that distinction at Trinity Lutheran June 11 at 2 p.m.

It is also the knowledge that he had the ability to keep in step with the nuances and demands of each changing generation, making his imprint along the way.

"A four-year-old can come in here with the ability to read," he said. "As an educator I think we have a wonderful opportunity to help that child grow by keeping the learning process started by his or her parents flowing and to add to that each year."

To be accountable in education, Hartmann thinks a teacher must stimulate the "creative capabilities of the learner by being a creative teacher."

He thinks teachers must risk change through experimenting and exploring.

He has witnessed an evolutionary process that makes being a teacher or principal harder than it was when he started 41 years ago. His career began in 1954 as principal and teacher at Zion Lutheran School in Alva, Okla. Things were much simpler in the mid-1950s.

"It used to be that if you were of the Lutheran faith you would automatically send your child to a Lutheran school, but it isn't like that any more," he said. Parents want to know what the school offers, which makes teachers work harder at giving students something to help them long after they have leave school.

He is proud he has equipped students with the ability to make wise choices in a world that tests the decision-making process on a daily basis.

"It's not as easy running a school today as it was 20 or 25 years ago," Hartmann said, allowing his hands to fall onto his lap. "Discipline occurs in the form of taking something away. That is about the only effective way to get your point across in the '90s."

When he was not instilling the teaching methods he learned from his father, who was also a Lutheran school mentor, Hartmann was thinking of ways to keep Trinity Lutheran solvent for years to come.

He found his answer by literally laying a financial foundation two years ago.

Hartmann brandishes a look of pride as he holds up slips of paper that contain contributions to the school's foundation. "One is for $100 and another for $200," he said. "It should be interesting to see where this foundation will be 10 years from now."

At his previous school he coached boys' and girls' sports, headed the choir and had other responsibilities.

"When the pastor of this church called me to be the principal, I asked what my duties would be," he said.

Hartmann was told being the principal would give him plenty to do. "I said, is that all?"

He would soon learn his day would be filled with enough work to keep him from feeling guilty. But not before an awkward moment or two.

"I went to the bank to deposit a check during school hours and ended up feeling like I was doing something wrong," he said. "I couldn't believe that I was doing this while the school was running."

Once he began to immerse himself in the school's daily routine, Hartmann's feelings of guilt began to fade. Before long, his spiritual guidance and seemingly boundless energy became his trademark.

When the athletic director died during his first year at the Cape Girardeau school, Hartmann assumed those duties, too.

He would open the school at 7 a.m. After visiting with his Bible or early arrivals, he might pop in on a class and participate in an impromptu song or two.

He is proud he upheld the three principles of education at Trinity Lutheran, adding that he has tried to make sure students learned to study, to make decisions from a set a values based on the Bible and to know what they stood for as people.

He takes those same principles with him as he prepares for retirement. "Even though I'm leaving here, the things I stood for as principal and educator don't go away," he said. "My wife, Esther, is still teaching here, so in a sense I'm still connected to the school."

But what will he do with all that free time? "I don't have any projects lined up or anything," he said. "But I've got plenty of hobbies. I'll just be busy enjoying the fact that I have nothing definite to do and plenty of time in which to do it."