Mrs. Zimring joined Powel in 1976 as a science teacher, and spent most of her career teaching third graders there before retiring in 2003.
She was known for her creative classroom projects, said her husband, Robert. Every year, the third graders studied a country and presented reports. They also gave, in costume, biographical reports on the likes of Marie Curie, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Jackie Robinson, Paul Robeson, and Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. They shared their presentations about the famous people with other classes at the school.
Many students told Mrs. Zimring years later that the projects had sparked their interest in learning, her husband said.
Mrs. Zimring was a longtime member of the Teachers' Learning Cooperative. In the group's weekly meetings, veteran teachers counseled new teachers and shared nontraditional techniques.
The Zimrings lived in West Mount Airy for 40 years before moving to Elkins Park in June.
For many years, they had been active in the Saturday morning prayer group and social hour at the Germantown Jewish Center. Mrs. Zimring sought out newcomers and made them welcome, and often invited people who did not have family in the area to her Passover seder and other holiday dinners, her husband said. She believed in building communities both in her neighborhood and in her school, he said.
A native of Oshkosh, Wis., Mrs. Zimring attended the University of Wisconsin, where she met her husband, a graduate student.
They married in 1962 and moved to Philadelphia in 1969. She earned a bachelor's degree from Temple University, and was just shy of enough credits for a master's degree in education from Temple, her husband said.
Mrs. Zimring enjoyed summer vacations in Canada. Since retiring, she and her husband had visited China, Greece, Italy, and New Zealand. She loved conversing with people they met on their travels, he said.
Mrs. Zimring also is survived by a son, Micah; a daughter, Sarah Morrison; two brothers; and four grandchildren.
A funeral service was held Monday at Levine & Son Memorial Chapel, Philadelphia. Burial was in Montefiore Cemetery, Jenkintown.
|
|
|
|
|
|
NEWS
Philly.com Promotions
