Farewell: Kialla West Primary School teacher Robyn Howard will retire on Friday.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Robyn Howard has seen plenty of smiling faces go through Kialla West Primary School during her years as a teacher there, including some who have returned later as adults to teach alongside her.
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On Friday, December 9, the Foundation teacher will utter the words “no hat, no play” for the last time, as she retires after almost three decades as a teacher.
Mrs Howard started teaching in 1986, moving to a shared position at Kialla West and Kialla Central primary schools only a couple of years later.
After that, she took a permanent position at Kialla West, where she has remained ever since — with the exception of eight years away when she had her children.
Goodbye: Kialla West Primary School teacher Robyn Howard with her Foundation class.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
At least half of her time at the school has been spent teaching Foundation students — a position she relished.
“I think the little kids are my thing,” Mrs Howard said.
For more than 14 years of that time, Mrs Howard taught Foundation and Grade 1 students with fellow teacher Cheryl Press — a partnership she enjoyed.
Together the pair decorated their classroom with tractors and aeroplanes among other things, and even incubated live chickens.
“The idea was to make it engaging,” she said.
Mrs Howard has seen a lot of changes over the years at Kialla West Primary School.
When she first started, there were about 50 children, mainly from the Kialla West area, who attended the school.
Now there are 190, who Mrs Howard said come from “everywhere”, but at the highest point, there were as many as 240 students at the school.
“It’s grown and evolved a lot,” she said of the school.
Mrs Howard has enjoyed her time at the school and loves the school community.
“I’ve just loved the feel and the community of Kialla West,” she said.
Enjoyment: Kialla West Primary School teacher Robyn Howard reading to her Foundation class.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
“I’ve got some lovely memories and some great friendships from here.”
“I’ve met a lot of people along the way and formed friendships with children, with parents and with staff.
“Some will be life-long.”
For Mrs Howard, the highlight of her career has been the children she has taught.
“I love seeing their smiling faces, what you can do with them, and how they learn,” she said.
While Mrs Howard is leaving the school as a teacher, the Howard name will live on, with her daughter, Amy Howard, taking over her Foundation class in her third year teaching at the school.
In her retirement, Mrs Howard plans to have some time for herself and to do something different.
She hasn’t ruled out returning to the school for “a day here and there” to fill in — certainly in the first year of her retirement.
“I think I will be involved in some way,” Mrs Howard said.
“I will call in to say hi and help out when I can.”
And her final words?
“I would like to thank Kialla West — the current staff and the staff who helped me grow up here, as well as the kids and the parents,” she said.
