Ann Ferguson, who taught at Webster Elementary School for more than 40 years, died Monday at the age of 90. Ferguson began her career at Webster in the late 1950s, teaching all grades, and retired in 2000. After retirement, she continued to make weekly appearances for a few years in Kris Stewart’s classroom, where she was beloved by the students, teachers and parents. Stewart credits Ferguson for pioneering imaginative field trips, including overnight stays on tall ships, where misbehaving young “seamen” would have to chew a raw onion in lieu of walking the plank (as depicted in a book they were studying—Richard Henry Dana’s “Two Years Before the Mast”).
“She made history come alive,” Stewart told The Malibu Times. “She was a great believer in individualizing curriculum, especially in math and made it fun for kids to learn. Her students always knew they were welcome anytime in her class even before, after school or during lunch.” During her tenure at Webster, Ferguson often taught students whose parents she had taught years earlier. She was a Malibu Times Dolphin Award winner in 2006.
Stewart added, “No one has ever seen the likes of Ann Ferguson.”
Ann Ferguson met and married Malibu Middle School music teacher Glen Ferguson in the 1960s. They lived in Pacific Palisades. Ann is survived by Glen and their beloved poodle, Muffy.