[Beverley Hansen]
I can't believe I've been teaching for 40 and a little bit years.
I still can't believe I'm the age I am, but I'm not disclosing that. But, you know, 40 years have gone very quickly.
My name's Bev Hansen and I've been teaching for 40 and a little bit years.
I'd worked for a little while in a bank and decided that if I had to spend my life doing that, I would go insane.
Teaching seemed like a worthwhile career, and I love kids, loved kids, even when I was young. So, I went back and got my HSC as it was in those days and was fortunate enough to be awarded a studentship to go to teachers college.
My first post was to Brighton Beach Primary School. So, I, I felt myself very fortunate.
A lot of my friends who were on studentships were posted all over the state and they all thought that I'd been favoured in some way because I went to this lovely little school down by the beach.
I can still see that group of students sitting in front of me.
There were 26 of them, grade twos. I think I was terrified, but also very excited.
But it didn't take me long to realize that I had walked into a job I knew I was always gonna love.
The hardest part was when you finally take that step fully out of the classroom.
So, when I first moved into an assistant principal role, I was part-time in the classroom, part-time in the leadership, but when I stepped fully out of the classroom, it was like losing the thing that you'd loved so much.
But then you realize that your classrooms just become much bigger.
So now I get to visit every classroom, but I also have a classroom of teachers that you're working with to grow and develop and, and that's hugely rewarding.
I don't know, I, I suppose I, my initial thought would've been, it's not important, but actually as it's come closer and, and this has happened, I get a sense of 40 years. Wow.
It is a long time.
And there's a lot of people who dedicate their lives to a career that they have really enjoyed.
And so, to be acknowledged for that is both personally rewarding, but good for the system.
I think it's good that people can see that it is a career you can last in. Yes, it's really hard work, but you can last, and you can still be enjoying it, you know, day one and today is no real difference.
Every day is exciting, and I still love it just as much as I always did.
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