Annette Haworth has been stimulating young minds for quarter of a century. 50701
By Russell Bennett
Ms Haworth, a Bayswater resident and veteran ‘chalky’, said her teaching philosophy was simple.
“It’s all about the love of kids and maintaining a good sense of humour,” she said.
The mother of three said there were a number of similarities between her students and grandchildren.
“The sheer joy remains the same,” she said.
“In both cases, it’s about laughter and the enjoyment of life.”
Family connections have become a feature of Ms Haworth’s time at Mount Evelyn Memorial.
“This year, for the first time, I’m teaching a child of a former student,” she said.
“It’s strange in a way but it’s great because I get to know family units, not just the kids themselves.”
Ms Haworth said she likes to keep in touch with former pupils and a number of them have even returned for work experience.
She keeps a photo album containing pictures of every one of her students, past and present.
“It’s very precious,” she said.
“I take it home in the summer months because I don’t like leaving it here in bushfire times.”
The children currently under Ms Haworth’s wing are at a different stage in their development compared to those she taught 25 years ago.
“The children these days are more educated from the start, thanks mainly to television and parents being more aware,” she said.
“Because of shows like Sesame Street, kids can already write their names and count.”
The four staff members employed at Mount Evelyn Memorial have a combined 88 years’ experience in early learning and Ms Haworth plans to add even more to the tally.
“I certainly can’t see myself [retiring] just yet because I love it too much,” she said.
“As long as I’m fit and healthy, I’ll keep teaching but probably not for a further 25 years.”
Ms Haworth travels to Cambodia each January to train local kindergarten teachers, in addition to her work at Mount Evelyn Memorial.
“It’s with a group called Teachers Across Borders,” she said.
“When you think about what we’ve got here, I come back and I go ‘we’re just so lucky’. They can have up to 70 in a class because they’ve not got the money for desks or even paper to write on.”
The Mount Evelyn pre-school site has changed a great deal from the day Ms Haworth first walked through the gates in 1985.
“We’ve had extensions put on, verandahs built, and the playgrounds done up.
“These have all been instigated by the staff,” she said.
“The original school building is nearly 100 years old. It was the old fire station and that explains why we’ve still got that big red pump out in the yard.”
Mount Evelyn Memorial Pre-school will be celebrating its 65th birthday later this year and Ms Haworth says it will be quite an event.
“We’ll be having a big open day to celebrate the landmark and I’m sure there will be a big reunion with plenty of former students coming back.”
