But lately, it is the excitement of winning a prestigious Woolf Fisher Fellowship that has been keeping the Fairfield Primary School principal wide-eyed after midnight.
He was one of three New Zealand primary school principals to receive the fully funded study award this week.
He plans to take up to 14 weeks in term 2 next year to study schools in the United Kingdom and Canada, as well as complete a leadership course at Harvard University in the United States.
''I keep waking up in the night, and I keep looking and planning the trip in my head.
''It's pretty exciting - big news for me. I feel quite humbled by it all. It's all a bit surreal at the moment.''
Mr Larson said he was surprised to learn he had been nominated for the fellowship, let alone win it.
He was nominated anonymously and learned he was being considered for the award only when he received a letter from the Woolf Fisher Trust asking him if he would accept the nomination.
''This whole fellowship thing is kept as secret as possible.
''Someone from somewhere has nominated me for this, and the trust has looked over the nomination to see if it is up to the standard.''
His study of United Kingdom and Canadian schools would look at how principals are supported from beginning teachers through to experienced teachers.
''I'm hoping to learn from what they do over there. I'm a mentor of young principals here [in Dunedin] who are starting off in the job, and they have 18 months with me.
''I want to see what other schools do, what do other places around the world do, and how is support given to principals.
''There's also a course at Harvard about how to improve your school by looking at the art of leadership. It will be nine fairly intensive days - and then I'll come out with a Harvard degree,'' he joked.
But, on a more serious note, he said the course would be invaluable and it would be special to study at one of the world's top educational institutions.
The original Woolf Fisher Fellowships were awarded in 1960 to send leading secondary teachers and principals overseas to examine different teaching practices.
The fellowships are now awarded to secondary, intermediate and primary principals and secondary teachers.
Recipients receive their salary during the term of the fellowship and are provided with additional funding if their spouse can accompany them.
Relief teaching costs in their school are provided by the Ministry of Education.
