Napier school principal Jurek Wypych leaves 'rewarding' 42-year vocation

Principal Jurek Wypych left St Patrick's School recently following an education career that spanned 42 years. Photo / Supplied

Opinion

Recently retired St Patrick's School principal Jurek Wypych chats to Mark Story about the vagaries of working more than four decades in an evolving education vocation.

Looking back at your tenure, how did it pan out compared with your dreams as an 18-year-old entering teachers' training college?
In 1977 when I entered training college, teaching was a very popular career choice and I was lucky to be accepted. From my early days in Palmerston North, as a teenager in a class of over 300 others in the same position and experiencing student life for the first time, the focus was on sport, socialising, having fun, some lectures and lessons, socialising and more socialising. I never dreamed that I would be in the game for 42 years, with 32 of those as a principal.
On reflection, I could not have wished for a more rewarding career. In my time, of teaching in a number of city schools along the East Coast including a wonderful country stint at Wallingford School in the mid-80s, I have met some amazing people, made lifetime friends and have taught thousands of students - who mostly still say hello to me or reintroduce themselves to me if I bump into them - and have had a lot of fun and great times along the way.
So I can say it has panned out better than I could have imagined.

Name the worst move ever made by the Ministry of Education?
Which one?
To me, the worst thing that the MOE did over time was to constantly adopt "fads" as directed by each new government who wanted to stamp their mark on education and in doing so, often threw out sound teaching and learning practices that were then labelled as outdated . These new fads were often short-lived and without real substance, but looked good in glossy ministry booklets with coloured diagrams that had arrows pointing all over the place, but in fact had no funding or practical guidance on how they were meant to be implemented in the classroom.

And the ministry's best move?
The introduction of the NZ Curriculum, which gives schools an opportunity to reflect their local community and teach and provide learning opportunities accordingly. This is a single document that replaced a plethora of curriculum documents (one for each subject) that were unwieldy and vague.
The other thing that has seemed to have changed recently is the approach that both the Ministry and ERO now take with schools. They are now working alongside schools and the principal when assisting and evaluating how the school culture actually operates in its own unique environment instead of imposing their own agendas and judgments on them.

Recently retired St Patrick's School principal Jurek Wypych says he'll miss the fellowship with students. Photo / Supplied

From my perspective, teachers are perennial protesters, and present as perennial whingers. What do you say to those like me who regard their good remuneration and abundant annual leave as tenuous platforms on which to strike?
To be honest, some are whingers and will always be. They need to realise how lucky they are to be in a profession that pays well, has a lot of leave allocated and one which gives them the freedom, flexibility, autonomy and creative licence to do their job.
However, the vast majority of teachers understand this and work hard, are extremely dedicated and care for their students unconditionally. On the occasions that they have taken industrial action, it is ultimately for the betterment of their students and the conditions that they now have to work in.
Spend a few days in a classroom and see how you cope, then make a judgment.

How has your role, and principals' roles in general, evolved?
My first principal's role was in 1990 at St Joseph's School in Waipukurau. That was the start of Tomorrow's Schools where boards of trustees appointed principals and were charged with running schools instead of the local ministry office.
At the start our focus was on creating policies. We were expected to have policies on everything and you were judged by ERO in those days on how many you had.
Now our roles are so diverse. In my role as principal I was a colleague, employer, leader, father figure (sometimes students called me mum or grandad) a social worker, taxi service, truancy officer, foodbank, finance adviser, disciplinarian, mediator, psychologist, friend, advocate, financial and property project manager and, most importantly, someone whom our students knew they could trust and were loved by.
Principals have a wonderful opportunity to make a difference, and I was fortunate to be hopefully one of those.

What will you miss the most?
Our beautiful children, the fun times that we had together, the love and the natural joy that they showed that never ceased to amaze me and of course, those daily hugs that were spontaneous and genuine.