Bullied kid’s great reunion Teacher inspired me to write
Jane Evans is the teacher who helped her pupil top a mountain, Zizi Sparks reports.
More than 15 years after leaving high school, Peter Williams still remembers the teacher who helped him overcome bullying and go on to university.
Williams, who has spina bifida, has nominated his form teacher of five years, Jane Evans, for a Favourite Teacher Award.
‘‘When I look back on my 13 years at school, I remember teasing and bullying because I was different, because I had a disability,’’ Williams writes in his nomination.
‘‘I was lucky to have a form teacher, Jane Evans, who not only was a wonderful sounding-board to remedy this bullying but an awesome teacher who spurred my love for the social sciences.’’
They reunited this week at Auckland’s Takapuna Grammar School, Williams’ old stomping ground, where he still calls her ‘‘Mrs Evans’’.
Evans taught Williams social science and geography, as well as being his form teacher up until he graduated in 2001.
Williams remembers Evans’ passion for geography, even ’’galloping’’ across the classroom, waving, to demonstrate saltation.
‘‘She spurred my love of history and geography and I was fortunate to have her in my final year. If I hadn’t had Jane, I probably wouldn’t have got into university. It was my geography mark that got me in,’’ he says.
And while Evans made a lasting mark on Williams, the feelings are mutual.
‘‘As a form teacher, you’re also involved in pastoral care and making sure they are happy at school. A little bit like your school mum,’’ Evans says.
‘‘We went on a field trip and it was climbing a mountain and Peter insisted on still coming along.’’
Unbeknown to him, his favouriteteacher.co.nz parents had organised a helicopter pickup. By the time they left, Peter had found out and when the group reached the top, he was already there, waiting and waving.
‘‘It was a big ‘I can do Evans says.
Evans says having an effect or long-lasting impression on people is one of the highlights of her job.
‘‘We place so much importance on assessments but the love of a subject is actually what will count in the future. In some ways, I find that is as important as exams.’’ anything’,’’ It’s weird what stuff in the news makes you cry. In these days of 24-hour news cycles, there’s a torrent of news and moving pictures coming at you constantly, hoping to draw some emotional response, so that you’ll share it.
Social media is full of these videos. Usually there’s an animal involved, sometimes it will just be a cleverly made commercial, and occasionally there’s an exploitative element that leverages off some aspect of human suffering.
But there’s so much of it, I’ve built up immunity, nothing works on me now. Not even stuff with cats, pandas or those videos with a title that ends in ‘‘you won’t believe what happens next’’.
Then this week I saw a video made by Welcome Bay School in Tauranga – which was once attended by champion New Zealand sailor Peter Burling.
The video was a message from current pupils thanking Burling for being an inspiration and proving that with hard work, you can make your dreams come true.
When Burling was a pupil there, he told teachers that he wanted to be the best sailor in the world. After he steered Emirates Team New Zealand to victory this week in Bermuda to win back the America’s Cup after 14 fruitless years for the team, few would argue against that happening.
The video then cuts to the school performing a rousing haka for him. The passion and commitment shown by those Kiwi kids, from all sorts of different cultures, was soul-stirring.
I can’t remember exactly what point I started tearing up. Perhaps it was the haka. Maybe it was the palpable sense that what Burling achieved, really was an inspiration those pupils will take into their lives.
That because Burling did what he did, if they show the same drive and determination, they can do what they want to do.
It was another reminder of the crucial role primary schools play in unlocking the potential of youngsters in New Zealand.
In the case of the pupils at Welcome Bay School, in this instance,
Being moved by that little video from Welcome Bay School, made me think about ‘‘Mrs B’’ again and so I was only too happy to have the opportunity to visit her this week.
Getting to know her and her life story, showed me why she was such a great teacher for so many of her past pupils, many of whom, like me got back in touch as adults.
Being taught by Mrs B, and great teachers later at intermediate and high school, made me really appreciate the role of good teachers and educators in New Zealand.
Whatever they’re getting paid, it should be more.