BULAHDELAH Central School teacher Wayne Holt has officially made the decision to retire, bringing an end to a teaching career spanning almost four decades.

Mr Holt held the position of Head Teacher of Mathematics at BCS for the past 11 years, and said he will miss the “joys that students bring” the most.

“The best thing is the children we work with and the people we interact with along the way, everyone who is involved in schools make it all worthwhile,” he said.

“I have enjoyed teaching students over a long period of time, particularly senior students, I think I have given them a lot of direction and steered them along their passions.”

When Mr Holt started teaching in 1981, his materials consisted of chalk, a blackboard and a pile of textbooks, with “discipline keeping things in line”.

He finished his career using data projectors, interactive smartboards and iPads, with “respectful working relationships” replacing the tough discipline model.

Year 12 student, Jessica Chalker, said she admired Mr Holt’s positivity and passion, but his gentle persistence inspired her the most.

“Mr Holt is an amazing teacher and always took an interest in what I wanted to do in the future,” she said.

“He continuously kept pushing me to do better than what I thought I could do, and I am definitely going to miss him.”

But it is not just the students who learnt life lessons from the mathematician, who also acted as a mentor to countless beginning teachers, helping them shape their own approach to teaching.

“There are a lot of good people coming in and becoming teachers, and we have seen numerous good examples here,” Mr Holt said.

“I feel that I can now retire knowing things will be left in good hands.”

Mr Holt said his short-term plans include some renovation work to his home.

“After that, I will do some more travel starting with the Silk Road next year,” he said.

 

By Daniel SAHYOUN