Schooling boys to be men

Brian Stephenson ran the St Paul's College 1st XIII league side. Picture / Nick Reed

Retiring teacher says seeing pupils growing up has been biggest reward in 36-year career.

Teaching can be a hard job where you're left "wondering how you've ever controlled a class", says Brian Stephenson, St Paul's College's outgoing head of science.

But you don't stick around for 36 years without the good outweighing the odd bad day.

"The most rewarding, I think, is probably when they become young adults in their last two years. And boys you've seen who have occasionally had quite a bit of fun at your expense as a junior suddenly become human.

"And they are actually really good to deal with. Some of them I really miss because they've been great students as people to know. And a lot of them do quite well."

Mr Stephenson, 70, is one of many teachers around the country clearing out their classrooms after making the decision to retire.

After a period working on building sites in Britain he returned home to train as a teacher. His mother and an aunt were teachers, but the career didn't appeal until some time doing unqualified relief teaching gave him the taste for the profession.

He started at Ponsonby's St Paul's College, an integrated school for boys, in 1978.

In his first year he witnessed the rare dishing out of corporal punishment, but the college banned it well before it was abolished at national level in 1987.

Another difference is the style of teaching. When Mr Stephenson, who grew up in Wellington and the Hutt Valley, started at St Paul's it was "very teacher-dominated".

"Students basically came in and sat down and behaved and did the work."

About half the staff were Marist Brothers when Mr Stephenson arrived. Not a Catholic himself, he says he greatly admires their character and philosophy.

"They said to me, 'You don't look at your successes or failures, you've got to look at how hard you have worked towards them succeeding. But some of it is in their hands'."

Mr Stephenson coached sports and for about 10 years managed the college's famed 1st XIII rugby league team.

Mr Stephenson will do relief work but is looking forward to filling free time with gardening, renovations and walking.

And what advice could he offer to those about to enter the profession?

"You've got to be used to the idea that teenagers are not the same as adults, so you are not always going to get logical behaviour."