Boroondara’s longest serving teachers have been recognised for more than 40 years service

Teaching is a tough gig, but these three education professionals say they’ve loved the job since day one and speak about their passion for inspiring youngsters to reach their full potential.

Primary schoolteacher Rita Kollmann has been recognised for 41 years service in the job. Picture: Stuart Milligan

It’s those “aha” moments that drive Solway Primary School teacher Rita Kollmann to keep going.

She’s been in the job for 41 years, but she said watching a student’s eyes light up when they grasped a new idea never got old.

“It is those aha moments when you witness a student grasp a concept for the first time, their excitement and delight at being able to do something they couldn’t before,” she said.

“As a teacher you are uplifted by the little joys of working with children. You love the funny things they say, the questions they ask.”

Primary schoolteacher Rita Kollmann with her students. Picture: Stuart Milligan

Ms Kollmann was one of more than 400 teachers, principals and school support staff recognised by the Department of Education and Training for 40 plus years of service at a ceremony held at the Grand Hyatt last month.

And while employees in other industries may not fathom how anyone could stay in their job for four decades, Ms Kollmann said teachers were lifelong learners driven by more than just a pay cheque.

“The role of teachers encompasses far more than just the teaching and sharing of knowledge. Not every child is born into wonderful circumstances and sometimes you may be the only person in their life that they trust,” she said.

“Being a child’s advocate and helping him or her realise their own potential is very special.”

Balwyn High School assistant principal David Nichols.

It’s a sentiment David Nichols, assistant principal at Balwyn High School, couldn’t agree with more.

Mr Nichols said he also had 41 years of teaching experience under his belt and while he said he enjoyed sharing his knowledge in the fields of commerce and legal studies, teachers also needed to be emotionally intelligent to be successful.

High school students in particular grappled with a variety of personal problems as they moved towards adulthood, he said, and teachers played an important role in those formative years.

“You can’t just be a person who teaches a lesson and walks out. It’s a matter of understanding that you're playing a role in developing that student as a whole as well,” he said.

Developments in technology and the use of the internet were the biggest changes he said he’d seen in his profession, he said.

But one of the most important things he said he tried to instil in students was work life balance, and he said Balwyn High School went to great lengths to teach its cohort the value of pursuing extra-curricular activities as well as academic achievement.

“It is about making sure students, while they want to do well in their studies, it’s (important they know) it’s about balance as well,” Mr Nichols said.

“The thing you’ve got to do is just try your best.”

August 28, 2019 Urszula Horbacz has been a French teacher at Balwyn High School for about 25 years. She is passionate about teaching students a second language and has 40 years of teaching experience. Picture: Stuart Milligan

French teacher Urszula Horbacz, known as Madame Horbacz to her Balwyn High School students, said her proudest achievement was watching students’ language skills develop.

She said she enjoyed learning French at school and saw teaching as an opportunity to continue being involved with the language she loved while sharing her passion with others.

Her 40-year career had seen her travel overseas to attend international conferences with other language teachers, she said.

And while she said she regretted foreign languages weren’t given as much priority in Australia’s education system compared with other countries, she said she strove to instil in her students the travel and work opportunities that knowing a second language made possible.

“Students can work in the international sphere for the United Nations or human rights or those sorts of areas,” she said.

“They often contact me five or 10 years later to let me know what they’ve done with their French. You know how we all had teachers that inspired us, that’s the sort of goal that I feel I’ve achieved here.”

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Boroondara school staff recognised:

• Canterbury Girls Secondary College’s Alison Bedggood;
• Glen Iris Primary School’s Robyn Challis;
• Koonung Secondary College Steven Fuge;
• Kew High School’s Vicki Goodman;
• Mont Albert Primary School Barbara Hinkins;
• Camberwell South Primary School’s Jillian Langdon;
• Kew Primary School’s Sally Marsh;
• Auburn South Primary’s School Irene Court;
• Kew Primary School’s Robin Grace;
• Kew High School’s Brian Kemp;
• Camberwell South Primary School’s Jennifer Kotros; and
• Balwyn High School’s Andrew Mark.