Principal moving on
He arrived at Tainui Full Primary School as a self described ‘‘hippie’’.
Now 35 years later principal Richard Peters has decided to leave.
His last day, which will be at the end of this month, comes after he spent 15 years of his term as principal.
‘‘I have enjoyed being a principal.
‘‘Being a principal is a demanding job, but I am still passionate about education. I am moving on to new ventures. [When] one door closes another opens,’’ he said.
‘‘ Teaching is my passion. Teaching education is my passion.
‘‘I have thoroughly enjoyed working as a classroom teacher and seeing students learn and succeed . . .
‘‘I chose to work in Tokoroa because I thought it was a great community (with) a lot of cultural diversity. That is the strength of the town,’’ he said.
When Mr Peters was asked why he has decided to leave he responded, ‘‘New opportunities. I am getting older, there are things in life that I want to do. I want to go back to university and study some more.’’
He added that he passion- ately believes education is vital for people to succeed.
As parting advice, he said: ‘‘ Education is a partnership between the school, the home and the child, and we need all three.’’