After 39 years in the job James Fallon High School maths teacher Bill Northam has decided to call it a day.
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For Mr Northam, or ‘Northo’ as he’s affectionately known, retirement hasn’t sunk in yet, as it just feels like another summer break.
But, as next year’s cohort returns to class, he suspects it will finally hit home.
“The main thing I enjoy about teaching is the students, and I’ve always been amazed at how respectful and polite they are,” he said.
“I’d recommend anyone to send their children to a public school, because they give a well-rounded education.
“Students meet people from different aspects of life, whether that be kids from disadvantaged backgrounds or ethnic backgrounds, and they learn to become more tolerant human beings.”
Born in Canberra in 1956, Mr Northam attended Campbell Primary School before Campbell High School, which is located behind the Australian War Memorial.
It was at high school where he was taught maths by Geoff Brewis, who was to have a profound influence on the young Mr Northam and inspire him to devote his career to education.
Mr Northam excelled academically and was awarded a Commonwealth teaching scholarship at Bathurst’s Mitchell College of Advanced Education in 1973, which was later to become Charles Sturt University.
After graduating in 1978 he had stints in the Northern Territory, Canberra and Echuca before starting at James Fallon in 1996.
He listed being a year adviser from 2000 to 2005 as a career highlight, mentoring children about their work but also any personal issues they wanted to raise.
With a lifelong love of footy, Mr Northam acted as the Riverina South West Team Manager, and was appointed the manager of the NSW under 15 all school teams at national championships in 2006, 2008 and 2009.
But in the classroom what kept him going was students’ willingness to learn.
“I try and relate maths to real life situations, especially in this day and age, because students will have several different jobs throughout their lifetime,” Mr Northam said.
“There’s always some who will say, ‘what do I need to learn this for?’
“And I say, you never know when you’re going to need it. It’s amazing how many students you come across who now appreciate learning different facets of maths to deal with their jobs.”
Mr Northam said it was important to find out what a teenager’s interests were, and to encourage them to do their best. “You’ve got to appeal to them with a sense of humour, and you’ve just got to make yourself approachable to get them onside,” he said.
“Once you've got them onside, students will usually respond to that and they will try and to do their best.”