Russell Henson will leave Rangiora High for the final time at the end of the year - after 50 years of teaching at the school.
It is half a century of his life he did not expect to spend at the school because his first year turned out to be ‘‘a bit of a disaster in terms of classroom management’’.
So much so that he contemplated giving up teaching altogether.
A year later though things were better.
By then his classroom management had improved and he had met the love of his life and future wife, Kay, ‘‘a Leithfield girl’’, so leaving was no longer an option.
Russell was initially attracted to the Rangiora teaching role because of the school’s rural location.
‘‘I spent most of my years growing up on the South Shore (Christchurch’s South Brighton) with the beach and the forests along the estuary as my playground,’’ he says.
‘‘It didn’t feel much like suburban city life so being able to secure a position in a country town seemed the best fit for me.’’
In those days there were about 800 pupils on the Rangiora High School (RHS) roll, half of what there is today.
‘‘Rangiora was a country town and the school had more of a family feel about it,’’ Russell says.
‘‘Teacher work-loads were less than they are today.
‘‘The majority of students were motivated to pass the dreaded exams and teachers were there to support them to do so, rather than to assess them as is so often the case today.
‘‘Blackboards, slide projectors, banda machines (the precursor to photocopiers and laser printers) were the tools of trade. Distractions via social media were not a thing.’’
Russell, who was 22 when he began teaching at Rangiora High School, believes the increased complexity of life, with all its distractions, makes it more difficult for pupils to maintain their focus at school in today’s world.
‘‘Having said that, I feel students now are far more tolerant of others, more accepting of diversity and certainly more accepting of Maori cultural values.
‘‘I also believe that students who want to, and are capable of succeeding, will do so whatever the era.
‘‘Those who don't, won’t. Perhaps little has changed after all.’’
Russell was inspired to become a teacher by ‘‘one or two influential role models’’ he had during his school years, including a teacher ‘‘with the X-factor’’ named Mr Dalton.
He has enjoyed his time at Rangiora High School.
‘‘Leading the social studies department for 30 years was a highlight.
‘‘Being both the teacher in charge of canoe polo at school and the Canterbury secondary schools competition for a couple of decades was another highlight,’’ he says.
‘‘Meeting past students from time to time who have kind words to say about their times spent in my classroom is another highlight.
‘‘Seeing students succeed while at school and learning of their successes beyond school has made it all worthwhile.’’
Russell and Kay raised their family in Leithfield and, after living overseas for periods of time, all three of their children now also have their family homes in Leithfield.
‘‘They all attended Rangiora HS and became secondary school teachers in their own right,’’ Russell says.
‘‘Today our seven grandchildren live within 600 metres of our home.
‘‘These are seven good reasons why staying in this area, and at Rangiora HS is, and was a good option for me. Being a part of my children's lives as they grew up and now my grandchildren's lives inspired me to stay teaching all this time.’’
Now retirement beckons he is looking forward to spending even more time with his close-knit whanau and being able to take more road trips with Kay.
