Honoring a life of learning: Lyman Sibbett reflects on being ‘the toughest teacher’

A few days ago, I enjoyed a great afternoon visiting with my old friend and mentor, Lyman Sibbett. When I first started teaching at Rocky Mountain High School in 1989, he was a respected veteran on staff. It was a fun trip down memory lane for us both.

After more than 40 years of teaching and 20 years of retirement, 83-year-old Lyman Sibbett still talks about education with the same energy and clarity he brought to his history, Spanish and geography classes at Rocky Mountain High School.

Born in Salt Lake City during World War II, Lyman’s early years were shaped by the hard work and resilience of his parents. His father joined the Marines but contracted pleurisy during a grueling night landing exercise and spent months recovering in the hospital. He later learned that many in his unit had endured the horrors of the Bataan Death March with most dying. Lyman’s mother, a nurse, met his father during his recovery. They eventually settled on a rocky patch of farmland west of Spokane, Washington, where Lyman attended a one-room schoolhouse before moving on to larger public schools.

Lyman’s path led him to Brigham Young University and then an LDS mission to Peru during a time when the church was just establishing roots in South America. He helped open new cities to missionary work, even laying foundations for the first chapels in Arequipa and Trujillo and starting a branch in a dangerous suburb of Lima.

“I started out wanting to be an archaeologist, but when I was in Peru, things changed for me, and I decided that teaching would be a better thing,” he said. “What I came to really enjoy was just the act of teaching.”

Upon returning home, Lyman found love in a place familiar to many LDS stories, at BYU. There, he reconnected with Beth, a fellow returned missionary from Idaho. Their journey to marriage was anything but ordinary: a flurry of letters, a few misaligned engagements and a courtship that included snowmobile rides through the snowy trails of Ashton, Idaho. During a movie intermission, Lyman proposed. They married in 1966 and are now nearing 60 years of life together.

After earning his master’s degree in geography and working briefly in Washington State, the Sibbetts moved to Cowley in the early 1970s, where Lyman took a teaching job that would define the rest of his career.

“Most kids said I was the toughest teacher they had,” Lyman said with a bit of pride. “But others came back and told me I was the only one who got them ready for college.” Mr. Sibbett taught Spanish, history, government, world geography and sociology. He was known for his rigor, structure and straight talk, but always paired with compassion.

He was one of the first in the district to use computers for grading, and he wasn’t afraid to adjust his plans mid-morning based on the mood in the hallways.

“You’ve got to read the room, every day,” he said. “Kids know if you’re phoning it in.”

He recalled that teaching during the consolidation years of 1983 - 1985 when Cowley, Byron and Deaver-Frannie schools merged had its challenges, though mostly for the parents. The students, he felt, adapted quickly and embraced the new Rocky Mountain High School with enthusiasm.

With a career spanning five decades, Sibbett saw firsthand how educational cultures shift, but he remained focused on building unity and trust, noting, “I loved high school kids. Everyone else was struggling with teenagers, and I just found them fun.”

He credits fellow educators and strong local families for making his years in the district so rewarding, even when there were occasional clashes with administrators.

“Thankfully, we had good principals like Joe Davis and Tim Winland, men who understood what teachers needed,” he said.

After retiring in 2003, Lyman continued teaching middle school Spanish in Deaver for another seven years. His post-retirement years have been centered around family, by helping his children build homes, relocate across the state and navigate life’s inevitable challenges. “My hobby,” he said with a smile, “has been helping my kids and enjoying more time with Beth.”

Lyman is a passionate reader and western history enthusiast, with a particular love for Louis L’Amour and Andre Norton novels. His deep appreciation for American history, especially the Constitution and the Civil War, inspired decades of spirited classroom lessons.

“We need to understand the genius of our founders and the cost of the union,” he said. “It still matters.”

Lyman and Beth raised nine children, many of whom have remained close to their Wyoming roots. Together, they’ve weathered life’s trials, job losses, health struggles and even the heartbreaking loss of their daughter Michelle, with unshakable love and faith.

Lyman’s pride shines brightest when he talks about his children. He speaks with quiet satisfaction about how they’ve grown, overcome challenges and found their place in the world. Of his eight living children, three -- Michael, Renae and David -- live in Casper. Bryan is in Vancouver, Washington, Lori Ann in Cowley, Jackie in Burlington, Raymond in Belfry, Montana, and Beth Elaine in Worland.

When I asked Lyman for advice as I face the uncertainties of retirement, his response was simple and sincere: “Find purpose. You’ve got to have a hobby, and you’ve got to keep serving and doing. You can’t just sit still. Love your children, no matter what.”

From mission fields in the Andes to quiet classrooms in Cowley, Lyman Sibbett has lived a life of faith, service and enduring curiosity. And for the generations of students he challenged, supported and inspired, his legacy lives on, not just in test scores but in the lives he helped shape.