CLIO — After 42 years of being an educator in Marlboro County, Clio Elementary School Principal Julia Cain is ready for retirement.
It will be for the second time in her career.
“I will miss it,” she said. “I know I will miss it. I felt it was time to let someone else try.”
Her goal after taking a break is to come back and volunteer in the classroom.
“I would like to do something different,” she said. “The real work is in the classrooms.”
Education is an integral part of who Cain and various members of her family are.
Cain has nine siblings with seven of them either retired or still working in Marlboro County School District. They are Helen Jenkins, Julia Cain, Brenda Dixon, Freddie David, Claudette Hooker, Herod David, and Sarah Woods.
During a recent retirement event hosted by CES teacher Deidre Hepburn, her siblings and others shared their feelings about Cain and her educational career.
Hepburn said she has known Cain for a long time and got closer with her as she worked at then Blenheim Elementary Middle and now Clio Elementary School.
She admitted to being scared about work there because Cain was known as a workaholic.
“She will have you working from the time you hit Clio grounds until you leave,” Hepburn said. “She does not ask or expect anything more than she gives herself”
She added that she had some good principals through her educational journey.
“However, I can honestly say without a doubt if I had the privilege, pleasure and opportunity to work with this lady, I would be further along in my certifications. Julia Cain brings back the true meaning of teaching and the real purpose for it is all about the children.”
Cain said she was surprised when she walked into Trinity United Methodist Church of Bennettsville and found family and friends waiting for her.
“I always enjoyed working,” she said. “I am not a person that wanted that kind of attention. And for a teacher to think that much of me meant a lot to me, it meant a lot.”
Cain taught for 22 years and spent the other 20 years working in administration in the district. She has taught every grade from third through eighth. And every subject in elementary school during her career.
During the event, one of her sisters said they would play school as kids.
“When we were growing up, it was either teach or preach,” Cain said.
Her aunts and uncles went into education and that is what Cain and her siblings did in Marlboro County.
“Coming from sharecropping, you knew you wanted to get out of those fields and do something different,” she said.
Cain attended school in Blenheim. She obtained her bachelor’s degree from South Carolina State University.
Then she returned home to teach. Later she earned her master’s degree from Francis Marion University. Cain furthered her education by attending the University of South Carolina and Grand Canyon University.
She started in her career as a teacher. Positions held by her included curriculum coordinator at the district level for several years and Title I director for four years until she retired for the first time 10 years ago.
She returned to education as an assistant principal and then a principal.
For Cain, it was an easy decision because she always liked working at a school.
“It keeps you really engaged with what’s happening,” she said. “I loved every minute of it.”
Cain never had children of her own, but she has always referred to her students as her children.
“When you care about them and think of them as yours, you want the best for them,” she said. “You want the best teachers. You want them to work the hardest.”
During the event, a video was shown that her nephew Jarvis David created for Cain with stories and kind words from her siblings and other family members.
Her sister Sarah Woods said she knew her sister in many different capacities from sister to friend to fellow educator.
“She has been a true educator over the past 42 years,” Woods said. “She has been a person who has done things for people that you wouldn’t expect her to do.”
Her brother Freddie David said she helped him and pushed him to do well.
“I thank you for all that you did for my kids, in life, in church and in school,” he said. “I appreciate all of that. Julia, you did a good job. You worked hard and put in a lot of work.”
Her sister Claudette Hooker said Cain would be missed by everyone.
“It is like you have a philosophy that the best way to retain power is to share it,” Hooker said. “And the best way to influence others is with a smile. You have a dynamic smile.”
She invited Cain to join her and the other siblings in retirement.
Her sister Helen Jenkins talked about Cain’s love for her students.
She shared a story of how Cain drove around after a hurricane checking on her students and their families.
She talked about how Cain set up an outdoor movie night for students and the community last year during the pandemic.
Marian David, founder of Tea Time for Teens, said she has known Cain all of her life and worked with her with the Children’s Defense Fund.
She said she, Cain and others worked to get the programs started in the county.
“It was because of the excellence and outstanding work,” David said. “We work from morning to night. If you don’t start with excellence at the ground floor and build, you don’t have a program. The way of excellence, I will never forget her commitment and dedication.”
Toasts were made by Cain’s significant other Luther Johnakin and her siblings.
For her second retirement, Cain has plans to volunteer.
“This year has been so bad for us,” she said. “I know they will need all the help they can get next year. I am hoping some schools will allow me to come in and volunteer.”
Cain wanted to thank all of the teachers she has worked with over the years.
“I couldn’t have made it as an administrator in the district without excellent teachers supporting me at all times,” she said. “My hats off to all teachers I ever worked with in Marlboro County. They are the ones who make the difference.”