Beloved Wagga teacher Rosalyn Barber decided it was finally time to step away from the classroom and retire after six decades on the job.
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After reaching the milestone of 80 years old last year, she finally felt ready to step down.
"I just love going to school; I love the teachers, I love the kids," she said, having so many wonderful memories she "wouldn't be able to remember them all".
The primary teacher was raised at The Rock, living in Gerogery for a number of years as well after her parents bought the local pub.
As a child Mrs Barber didn't envisage herself as a teacher, instead wanting to be a truck driver, but her parents didn't approve.
So in February of 1962 she went out west to Dareton, near Mildura, to complete her first teaching job, surprising herself with how much she enjoyed it.
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After 12 months she came back home to the Riverina, teaching at both North Wagga and Kooringal Public schools before taking some time away to have children of her own.
Mrs Barber was eventually drawn back to the classroom, teaching at Henschke Primary School. Later in her career she stopped full-time teaching but continued on a casual basis, with Mater Dei Primary being the last school she worked at.
On her last day in 2021, she went to see the principal and said she felt "just terrible" for the next few months.
"I just wasn't anybody, I was just me again," Mrs Barber said, feeling a bit lost.
However, she has developed a new routine with social and volunteering activities around Wagga in recent months.
Reflecting on her career, Mrs Barber said the changes she has witnessed from the 60s to now are "mammoth".
Particularly, she's noticed that children are being assigned more and more content to learn in their first year of schooling.
"They should take it more slowly," she said. "Let kids enjoy school."
The biggest thing she learned over the years is to be patient and understanding with students who might be misbehaving.
"Kids have a lot that they bring to school with them and you don't know how troubled they are; take that into consideration," she said.
"What they're suffering at home, they don't tell you but they bring it to school with them."
Her message to aspiring and early-career teachers is that it's "a lot of work", but doable.
"You just have to stick at it and do the best you can," she said.
She is also a strong believer in the power of stories, encouraging primary teachers to read lots of books to their classes to foster a love for reading.
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