Beloved Port Chalmers teacher Ian Landreth is retiring after 40 years in the profession.
He said his retirement came at the right time because there was too much pressure on teachers to adapt to the structured teaching methods being enforced by the government in the new curriculums for English and maths.
"I’ve seen so many changes over the time and really I just don’t feel like I’m at the age where I could go through [another].
"It’s actually quite a good time to be getting out because ... [of] all this new curriculum change."
However, teaching could still be an enjoyable career because the children were still lots of fun, he said.
"At the end of the day, we’re here for the children and that is fun most of the time."
Mr Landreth was known among his pupils and staff for his entertaining stories, including the one about the time he nearly drowned in a pool in Kalgoorie, Australia, and when a frog escaped his aquarium and was found on a pupil’s head.
His approach to teaching was having a good sense of humour to make the children feel comfortable.
"I’m a bit of a class clown, really," he said.
"That’s why I hate all this new curriculum stuff. There’s no leeway for that sort of thing.
"We’re all going to become robots. It’s so structured," he said.
His advice to incoming teachers was to just stick with it.
"You just have to put in your yards."
Mr Landreth had been at Port Chalmers for the past 27 years and before that he was a kindergarten teacher in Concord.
