TEACHER RETIRES
Lorraine Dixon has retired after nearly 28 years teaching at Central Baptist Early Learning Centre.
When Lorraine started there it was a kindergarten, affectionately called CBK. “Actually, one term off 28 years,” she says.
Her retirement coincided with that of her husband Ray Foster, so they were able to stop work together.
“We want to do some more travel. We like going overseas and exploring the amazing countries there are around the world.”
Lorraine started training for her career in early childhood education when she went to teachers’ college in Christchurch straight out of school. She completed a two-year diploma and started work.
“I came to Whanganui from training college. I was at Barsanti Kindergarten first and then Marie McFarland. I loved my time there.
“I was teaching at Marie McFarland and one of my parents had gone to a course at Central Baptist — `How to love your teenager’. It sounded like an interesting course so I did it.
“I asked lots of questions about the kindy and a few months later they asked if I’d be interested in a job there.
“So on January 28, 1991, I began my amazing journey with CBK.”
Since Lorraine started there the centre has expanded into four areas.
“There is the baby centre, where I’ve worked for the last seven years; then there’s the cre` che; the kindergarten for 3-year-olds and then Kindy House for 4-year-olds.
“I’ve worked in all four areas. Barbara Smith was my first head teacher and there have been a few since then.”
In those days there was no office. “Barbara and I were the `office ladies’, we were the teachers, we did it all.”
Lots of the children were from outlying farms. “They might bring their child for just one day a week while they came into town to do their shopping and whatever else.”
Lorraine would take photos of the children for their parents. The photos were developed at the Community Polytechnic (now UCOL).
“Those photo albums are still held at the centre.
“Two of the children I taught became teachers and came to teach at Central Baptist.”
They remembered her, as Lorraine remembers many of the children she has taught. Some, she has met later as adults and could still recognise them.
“And I’ve taught children of children. So I thought it was time to retire before I got to the third generation.”
She is going to miss the children. “Every child has something special . . . and it’s the connections with the parents. Even though it’s just a short time, the early years are significant in a child’s life and you hope you can make a difference.”
Lorraine was the one who dressed as a clown or wore jewellery and clothing that appealed to the children. Winnie the Pooh T-shirts and Mickey Mouse earrings never fail to attract attention.
Dressing as Do-Whacky-Do the clown has become a trademark, as have the stories she tells to the kids.
They call her Lorraine . . . or something close, like “Meringue”, as in the case of one young girl.
There were so many highlights, she says, but the biggest would be “all those amazing children with all their different personalities — each one of them has a special place in my heart.”