Denise Wach and Beverley Stacey have dedicated their lives to teaching. 51274Picture: Nigel Clements
By Russell Bennett
TWO Upwey High School teachers have been applauded for the 85 years they have given to moulding young minds.
Denise Wach and Beverley Stacey were among more than 240 staff recognised at the Victorian Education Service Awards in June.
Their careers in education have spanned 45 and 40 years respectively.
Ms Wach, a teacher since 1973, heads the arts and academic subjects and enjoys taking an active role in the development of her students.
“I enjoy teaching the students, but more than that, I love moulding them fresh out of primary school,” she said.
“I also very much enjoyed teaching VCE and preparing those kids for life after high school.”
However, Ms Wach has also faced her fair share of difficulty.
“I have been through the fires and the floods at Upwey,” she said.
“I’m one of the few who can remember when the school burnt down in the early 1980s.
Ms Wach said students’ attitudes towards teachers have changed over the years – and not necessarily for the better.
“There’s certainly less respect,” she said.
“But there are more factors at home that can impact on the kids’ development.
“On the whole, kids still have wonderful energy and vitality and that’s what keeps any teacher going.”
Ms Wach teaches four days a week but still has more to give before shifting her focus to another of her loves.
“I’ve had more than 40 exhibitions as a practicing artist,” she said.
“I want to concentrate on my art when I retire from teaching in a few years.”
Her counterpart has no time to think about retirement. Taking care of the school’s time tables commands most of Ms Stacey’s focus, but it remains a labour of love.
She set her eyes on a teaching career when just five and entered the profession in 1970.
“I loved cooking and I loved maths and science, so food tech was a great way to combine the two,” she said.
But her family doubted she could make a career out of what she loved.
“My mother’s comments were ‘What’s the point of you getting an education? You’re only going to waste it and have kids. It won’t work’,” Ms Stacey said.
“Well, mum, 40 years on and I’m still here.”
Ms Stacey said when she began her career, women were paid 20 per cent less than men.
“But that was something you didn’t take any notice of when you started out and with equal opportunity, it became far easier,” she said.
Ms Stacey cut her teeth at Coburg High School before moving to Flemington High School, where the famed racetrack now sits.
“You couldn’t find so much as an ant in the yard back then,” she said.
“It was a concrete playground.”
Ms Stacey found herself at Frankston High School a few years later and stayed there for five years.
“She (Ms Wach) only had one fire,” Ms Stacey said.
“I had six in five years at Frankston High.”
Ms Stacey moved to Upwey High School 17 years ago. She said teaching students from a more rural lifestyle was part of the appeal. “The kids were more laid back, not as intense,” she said.
Education Minister Bronwyn Pike said the service awards were richly deserved.
“The awards recognise our longest serving teachers who dedicate a big portion of their lives to ensuring our children learn, thrive and grow,” she said.
“Long-serving school teachers are stalwarts of our local communities and play a vital role in Victoria’s dynamic education system.”
