Elementary teacher created a second career painting murals with students to beautify schools. 

Helene Cob began her career as an art teacher in New Jersey in 1966. At the time she had no idea her passions for art and language would quickly lead her to moving abroad.

Costa Rica was the perfect place to practice Spanish while on a church mission. It’s also where she met her husband Enrique and spent 15 years of her life. “I told my mom I was only going for two years but I fell in love.”

What did you do in Costa Rica?

“I worked in the art department of a Christian publishing house and began teaching bilingual education. We relocated to Los Angeles in 1982 where I was hired to teach bilingual education. I taught for a total of 39 years, with 26 of those in LA.”

Why did you move to Los Angeles?

“Nicaragua was in a revolution and things in Costa Rica got rough in many ways. We decided to move to the states and chose Los Angeles because my sister-in-law lived here. We were only going to live here for two years, and we’ve been here ever since.”

How did you get into art?

“I graduated from a liberal arts college in 1966 with a degree in art and a minor in elementary education, which led me to my first teaching position as an elementary art teacher. I always wanted to be an art teacher. My family has a long line of artistic people, some of whom were professionals and others dabbled in art as a hobby.”

Which family member inspired you the most?

“My grandmother. She stayed in Mexico every winter with my grandfather where they went to a special art colony for senior citizens. They also had an art gathering at their house every weekend. With them, art was everywhere.”

Why did you become a teacher?

“I think teaching is in my DNA. Several of my relatives were teachers including my father. Back in the ’60s, girls were pushed toward certain professions such as teaching, nursing or social work of some kind. I took the path of least resistance with teaching but with a major in art. On top of that, I always loved school as a child.”

What did you enjoy most about teaching?

“I loved teaching young children and always wanted to be sure they got off to a good start. Working with English language learners was most important in my desire to make a difference. I studied four years of Spanish in high school and that led me to love being bilingual and helping children become bilingual.”

Did you have a favorite teacher growing up?

“My fifth grade teacher was my favorite. If our class behaved, she read a chapter of Sherlock Holmes to us at the end of the day. I learned to love reading through mystery stories. My other favorite teacher was my high school Spanish teacher. He made learning a new language fun and I loved it! Both inspired me to make teaching interesting and accessible to each student where they were.”

What's one thing you're proud of doing during your career?

“The one thing I really cared about was to make a difference in my students’ lives. I’ve had students come back to visit and tell me they never forgot the year I was their teacher. They felt noticed, cared for and smart. I recently received a message from a student of mine from 1973! She never forgot me, and we met again this past year when I went on a trip with my husband back to Costa Rica. She was so proud to introduce me to all her family. What a rewarding moment that was!”

What’s your favorite thing to do now you have extra time?

As teachers often do when approaching retirement, Cob thought about what would come next. The answer came when the 250-foot playground wall at her school was filled with graffiti over the summer.

“I felt led to start a mural project. With some encouragement and guidance, I organized a six-week project in which 150 students, 75 parents and 15 teachers participated in painting a beautiful mural with the theme: Read to Succeed. The project transformed the atmosphere of the school so much, we were awarded grants to paint more murals with the children. Principals from other schools visited and asked me to lead mural projects at their schools.”

The project was just what Cob needed to give her life in retirement direction and focus. The inquiries she received from other schools led to an amazing milestone.

“I’ve worked at 11 schools over 18 years and as I turned 80 this past summer, I realized we’ve done 80 murals! I thought maybe it was time to retire again but after a nice summer break, I came back rejuvenated, and the phone rang again. We just finished one more mural in December and are starting another one in February.”

Cob’s drive to paint murals with children has benefitted her in unexpected ways.

“I'm convinced that keeping physically active while painting and feeling the satisfaction of giving back to our school district by beautifying our schools is adding years to my life. It gives me so much joy to be connected to my school, making a difference in their students’ lives.”

How are you enjoying retirement?

“We’ve always been frugal and I saved all my pay raises for retirement. Between that, the pension, and my husband’s Social Security, we enjoy our retirement fully. Our home is paid off, we travel a lot and can serve the community and schools in so many ways.”

Tell us something fun thing about you.

“I’m not particularly athletic or go on crazy adventures so people who know me are surprised I’ve led a half a dozen personal tours to Costa Rica, where we zip line or go white-water rafting.”

Are you in contact with any of your former students? 

“Some of my students have come back to tell me they are in college, some have gone on to be teachers, others work in technology. One little girl who spoke no English when she came to my class graduated valedictorian of her high school and received a full scholarship to Harvard. She now works for the Los Angeles mayor and we keep in touch.”

What’s your best piece of advice for new teachers?

“The most valuable tool for success in teaching is learning to maintain good discipline from the first day. Kids need to know about the expectations and standards of behavior you will hold them to. Being an artistic and flexible person, it took me years to understand that teaching can be fun, but kids want to have a routine and like to know what’s expected of them, especially the younger ones. The older ones need to know you care for them personally, but you’re in charge as their teacher, not their buddy.” 

Teacher Talk is a series of profiles on California teachers and other educators. To be considered for a future profile, fill out this form.