However, Jocelyn had her last day at the kindergarten at the end of February after 35 years teaching there.
She says she is ‘‘leaving the kindergarten in the capable hands of my current teachers and I hope Sarah Wilkes has a long and meaningful time as your new head teacher’’.
In her farewell speech, she thanked her colleagues and the kindergarten’s ‘‘amazingly supportive whanau’’ for making King St Kidsfirst Kindergarten ‘‘a great place to work’’.
‘‘We are one of the few kindergartens that still have a supportive Friends of the Kindy group, and you always have the teachers’ back when we put out a call for help,’’ she said.
The kindergarten also had support from former pupils who were now adults and had enrolled their own children at the centre.
‘‘This is very special,’’ Jocelyn said.
Things had changed a great deal in early childhood education since Jocelyn began teaching at Kings St.
‘‘Back in the 90s we basically ran our own ship. But with the use of technology and everything else, the early childhood regulations, the teaching standards, assessment and planning, the Education Review Office and our own personal teacher registration requirements, we are well and truly monitored and accountable,’’ she said.
Parents of children enrolled at the kindergarten, who attended Jocelyn’s farewell, said they were sorry she was leaving, but hoped she might be persuaded to do some relief teaching at the kindergarten in the future.
Rangiora’s Sam and Joe Keetley, who have Aubree, aged 6, and Abel aged 2, attending the kindergarten, say Jocelyn has definitely left big shoes too fill.
Under her leadership the kindergarten has been a ‘‘place of love and support helping to shape future generations to be the best we can be’’, Sam said.
It was also a place where they had made friends and their children had made friends too.
Another parent, Rangiora’s Aimee Schmidl, whose youngest son attends the kindergarten, said Jocelyn had been an important part of many children and their families' lives during their formative early years.
‘‘She is a wonderful, dedicated and caring teacher.’’
Teacher, Rachael Gibb, said Jocelyn would be greatly missed.
‘‘She is a natural teacher who is a very inspirational leader.’’
Jocelyn and her husband, harness racing trainer/driver Ian Cameron, have a 12.14 hectare harness racing training property at Fernside where they breed trotters.
Their latest winner was Solemn Son, who is out of their eight-win trotting mare Gina’s Brightest, and was driven by their son Kyle who is also a trainer and driver in Fernside.
Jocelyn said she was looking forward to her retirement, but the person who was looking forward to it most was Ian because ‘‘he thinks he won’t have to do so much cooking and housework’’.
She decided to retire because over the years the job had continued to increase ‘‘like all teaching jobs’’, and she wanted to have more time and energy to do the things I want to do whether it be just pottering around home with Ian and the horses, or gardening and having a bit of a sort out here. ‘‘We have been here 44 years in April so it’s timely.’’
-By Shelley Topp
