An emphasis on doing things for children
Jack Reid could have been a policeman or a bursar in the navy but he has no regrets about his decision to take up teaching as a career, and has been educating young minds for half a century. Jeremy Smith speaks to the principal for this week’s regional pr
Curriculum, technology and the responsibilities involved in being a principal may have all changed during the course of Jack Reid’s career.
But as he marks his 50th year in education, and his 44th as a principal, what hasn’t changed is his love of his profession and the opportunity it gives him to play a part in moulding and shaping children’s lives.
By now he’s done that for literally thousands of pupils, and during his time as principal of Goodwood School near Cambridge – a role he’s had for the past 30 years – the school has grown from a three teacher, 75 pupil school to a 14 teacher school with a roll of about 340 pupils.
‘‘I said to the children in an assembly recently that from the time I was five I have been going to school for 63 years – there hasn’t been a day where I haven’t had to.
‘‘I’m a bit of a slow learner aren’t I?’’ Jack quipped.
Being a teacher came down to choosing one of three choices he had after he finished school – being a policeman, a bursar with the Navy, or a teacher.
After training as a teacher in Hamilton, his first year out of teaching saw him placed at Melville Intermediate School.
‘‘The principal there at the time was Jack Silcock and I was teaching alongside Ian Hughes, two very well-regarded men in the education sector in Cambridge.’’
He then taught at Mapiu School between Te Kuiti and Taumarunui, as infant mistress for three years.
His first job as principal was at a school in Tuhua, then he was principal at a handful of other schools, then Goodwood School, where he has been at the helm for three decades.
‘‘Children are my number one priority, and so is providing a holistic education and meeting needs academically, socially, culturally and sporting-wise.’’
The not-so-secret to his success is simple, he insists.
‘‘Children are my No 1 priority, and so is providing a holistic education and meeting needs academically, socially, culturally and sporting-wise.
‘‘I put a lot of emphasis on doing things for children. I have a genuine love for teaching. In everything I do, at the end of the day, I ask, ‘How is it going to benefit the children?’ ’’.
Teamwork with the whole school community, parents included, is also key, Jack said.
‘‘I’m a very collaborative person and having the right staff around you is so important. I have been extremely lucky that at Goodwood School I have had the opportunity to work with many dedicated, committed hard-working teachers who are here for the benefit of kids, and that’s the key.’’
His success with that model of operation has been evident. One example was eight years ago when Goodwood School was given $600,000 as part of the Ministry of Education’s Extending High Standards Across School (ESAS) initiative.
The four-year project saw many Cambridge schools involved and even
Jack Reid has been working in education for 50 years – 30 of those as principal of Goodwood School. now, Goodwood continues to reap the benefits.
Throughout his long tenure, Jack has remained open to change – technology is one major area in which he has embraced that change.
‘‘I have always been one that likes to stay at the forefront of education and will make moves quickly to stay astride of new trends – I believe that’s a school’s responsibility.’’
While there have been stresses and strains, there are no regrets. These are 50 years he has relished. ‘‘I don’t think there’s a more rewarding profession.’’ The rewards have been numerous. ‘‘I feel that I have been blessed with gifts in certain areas. They have been given to me for a reason – to share them and to help mould and craft children and teachers around me.’’ sent to collect them for the remainder of the journey.
But that bus suffered a flat tyre at Tirau about 7.30am, leaving passengers out in the cold for another hour while the puncture was repaired.
The bus finally arrived in Auckland at 11.30am, five hours behind schedule.
Naked Bus owner Hamish Nuttall said the company had phoned every passenger to apologise and offer them a full refund as well as a free trip.
They were not overly happy about the delay, but most understood the hassle involved with finding a replacement bus and driver at that hour of the night, he said.
‘‘As you can appreciate, there wasn’t too many drivers on stand-by.’’ The two ‘‘unconnected and unfortunate’’ events were out of the ordinary for the bus company, which made about 4000 trips per month, Nuttall said.
The source of the mechanical issues was still being investigated.