It's rare for Craig Roder to walk down the street and not run into someone that used to sit in his classroom.
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Mr Roder has been teaching maths at North Albury's James Fallon High School for 36 years, seeing generations of families pass through the gates.
But this month the beloved mentor will have his last lesson after announcing his retirement.
Looking back on his 38-year career, Mr Roder admitted teaching has fulfilled him.
"I was probably in year 8 or 9 when I decided I wanted to be a teacher, I just couldn't decide whether it was going to be maths of science," he said.
"I got the idea sitting in class when the kids either side of me would ask me how to do things before they bothered to ask the teacher.
"They seemed to understand what I was saying, so I thought maybe this is something I could turn into a job.
"There's been very few times since then I've regretted that decision."
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Mr Roder said the time felt right to bid farewell to the school, with fishing, golf and domestic travel now on his radar.
While the years have been filled with highlights, his HSC class of 1986 remains a standout.
"One of my best memories in teaching is right back near the very start," he said.
"I was only in my fourth year of teaching and my first HSC class was extension one and extension two.
"Both classes were a really nice bunch of kids that worked hard and finished up well above the state average, which was good for a first attempt at a HSC class."
While he never imagined his final year at school occurring during the chaos of a pandemic, he admitted he'll miss teaching in the classroom.
"That's the reason you go into the job in the first place and it's the most enjoyable bit," he said.
"The first step is treating them like little people rather than children.
"Respect is a two-way street."
Mr Roder has also been a mentor to teachers starting out in the profession and has worked as a timetabler for shared classes between Murray and Albury High Schools.
James Fallon High School principal Jenny Parrett said Mr Roder would be missed by staff and students.
"It's lovely to reflect on a career and be able to say how many thousand and thousands of young people have been touched by Craig's work," Mrs Parrett said.
She admitted there hasn't been a problem that Mr Roder couldn't solve over the years.
"They did make the mistake of getting me to teach music and geography once, but maths is what I do best," Mr Roder said.