THE time has come for Bill Hann to leave school.
Eighty-year-old Mr Hann, the longest-serving employee at the Department of Education, will put down his chalk for the last time this Friday at Rossmoyne Senior High School, the last of many public schools his career has taken him.
Starting at Boulder High School 60 years ago, Mr Hann first taught general science, English and physical education.
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READ NOW“In my earliest appointments we were expected to teach anything up to Year 10,” he said.
Throughout his career, he has dabbled in administration, joining the Panel of Superintendents in 1975 then becoming the executive director at the WA Association of Independent Schools.
He got back into teaching in 1998, when his wife Diane became deputy principal at Tom Price Senior High School.
“I picked up relief and became a general dog’s body teaching everything…we spent six months there and then went to Eastern Goldfields,” he said.
Since 2006 he has been at Rossmoyne Senior High School, a school he praised for its diversity.
“Education today has a diverse range of cultural backgrounds, I think we have been blessed (at Rossmoyne) with such supportive students… I have mixed feelings about leaving but to be honest I will miss many things (like) mixing with young people and my colleagues,” he said.
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Mr Hann said there was travel and reading planned in his near future.
“My wife is a keen holiday maker and I might pick up a new hobby, perhaps study mathematics or something different,” he said.
In a parting message for students, he urged them to enjoy what each day brings.
“Try to keep positive, know that things pass and keep positive,” he said.