Teacher downs chalk after 53 years
WHEN the final school bell rang at Durban High School today, it signalled the end of term and the start of a new beginning for long-time teacher Tony Human, who retired after 53-and-a-half years of teaching.
In a special assembly staff, pupils and Old Boys bade farewell to the bubbly 74-year-old teacher.
“When I started teaching in 1965 it was a case of talk and chalk. Chalk was the most important thing. By the end of the lesson you’d be full of chalk, rather than the chalk being on the board itself. Then we progressed and got overhead projectors. Thank goodness I’m not teaching any more, because they use so many modern things which is beyond a 74-yearold’s understanding,” he said.
Human had plenty of quips to share. “I started teaching at DHS in 1965, at the age of 20. So one or two matrics were older than I was.
“We had pure physics and chemistry, then it changed to physical science, which I’ve been teaching for many years. I’ve been teaching at DHS for 51 years, although I’ve been here for 54 years because I thought I was getting too old,” he laughed.
The highlight of his career was teaching matric pupils. “They have come and gone; sadly some of them are no longer with us. It’s amazing how when you’re teaching them they don’t really like you. I was really hard on my pupils and discipline was the order of the day. But it’s the usual story, they hated me at the time, but love me now,” he said laughing. “A lot of the Old Boys have said that I really got through to them.”
The best part had been to see his pupils grow. “It’s the ones you least expect who will come visit you and thank you, and that’s what teaching is all about.
“I plan on travelling a lot. First port of call will be in Brisbane for a get-together with the Old Boys, then London, New Zealand and America. I don’t know where I’m going to find all this money to travel, but I’m sure I’ll get there somehow.”