Senior citizen proves you’re never too old to learn te reo
Going back to school was a nobrainer for 71-year-old Jan Newton.
The Waiheke Island resident wanted to improve his te reo Ma¯ori, and learn more about Ma¯ori culture and performing arts.
Newton first started studying Ma¯ori performance in 1991 after his children’s school principal told parents they should.
‘‘Around 40 to 60 of us turned up every week and learned all the songs. Then we found we liked it and started to perform.’’
Fast forward 26 years and he is now a fulltime student at the island’s high school – and loving it.
Newton was already familiar with Waiheke High School, having attended classes there in 1959 before finishing his secondary education at Auckland Boys’ Grammar School.
This year, much younger classmates had no trouble accepting him as a fellow pupil in year 9, 10 and 13 lessons ‘‘but it took a bit longer for the teachers’’, he said with a smile.
Already a familiar figure around the school, supervising classes when teachers are away, he said he had been ribbed about using the staff room as a pupil.
Newton said he attended classes every day as a member of form 13W, led by form teacher Tanique Deacon. But he didn’t get any special treatment over lateness or absence.
‘‘You have to ring up when you’re late. One day I thought ‘I can’t be bothered’ so I wagged.
‘‘The school sent a text to my ‘mum’ (me).’’
Waiheke High School principal Jude Young said it had been great having Newton as a student.
‘‘He’s been so helpful and supportive to students and marvellous modelling lifelong learning.
‘‘He’s really worked hard to learn a new language – he got quite a shock at how hard it was.’’
Young said Newton had integrated well as an adult student and attended year 13 NCEA level 3 meetings on Tuesday mornings, as well as classes.
She said another adult student on Waiheke had enrolled to study visual arts at the school next year.
Adult students were welcome, she said.
‘‘We can come to learning at different ages.’’
Newton said it had all been worthwhile, and pointed to the trophy he received at the senior prizegiving night. He’s proud of the award, which has pride of place on his sitting room shelf.
Newton sat his NCEA level 1 te reo Ma¯ori exam, after deciding the year 13 llevel 3 paper was too hard.
He is looking forward to the result.