Kaitao school keeps it in the family | Rotorua News | Local News in Rotorua
Kaitao school keeps it in the family
Mirth Solomon with her daughter Kim.PICTURE: KELVIN TEIXEIRA (251104kt8)
By ABIGAIL CASPARI in Rotorua
Kaitao Middle School's deputy principal is saying goodbye to the school she helped set up but is leaving it in capable hands.
Mirth Solomon's daughter Kim will take over her mother's role at the intermediate school, which celebrates its 35th anniversary tomorrow. Kim is a teacher at Western Heights High School.
Mrs Solomon is looking forward to catching up with some of the more than 100 staff who have passed through the school.
Mrs Solomon has taught at several schools but her longest stint has been at Kaitao.
In 1969 she was teaching at Sunset Intermediate when the Government decided to open another intermediate school in the area.
Sunset Intermediate principal Tam Graves took up the role as principal of the new school and invited his staff to apply for jobs there.
Mrs Solomon has been there ever since - the last 15 years as deputy principal.
She says she has stayed so long because of the challenges it has offered her.
"This school in the 35 years since it was established has been a school where things have never stood still. This school is always coming up with fresh initiatives."
She is retiring because "the time is right".
She wants to spend more time with her family and on other interests, including netball.
She says the students she taught in the early days of the school are quite different to those she teaches now.
They are far more outspoken and some are not that happy about being at school. The breakdown of the family unit is partly to blame, she says.
She believes there are many parents who have no idea where their children are "from Monday to Saturday".
Teachers are also expected to do a lot more for their students than they should be doing, she says.
"They do everything humanly possible [for the children] apart from taking the kids to their own homes."
However, Mrs Solomon is passionate about her pupils and says it's their "extreme friendliness" she is going to miss.
She says the school will do well over the next 35 years, as long as it gets some stability with staff.
In the past 10 years most teachers have stayed for just one or two years - although about a dozen of them have left to become principals at other schools.
Tomorrow's celebrations include tours of the school, performances by various students and a reunion dinner at the Rotorua Racecourse which will be attended by about 160 mostly former staff including the three former principals of the school.
Kaitao Middle School's deputy principal is saying goodbye to the school she helped set up but is leaving it in capable hands.
Mirth Solomon's daughter Kim will take over her mother's role at the intermediate school, which celebrates its 35th anniversary tomorrow. Kim is a teacher at Western Heights High School.
Mrs Solomon is looking forward to catching up with some of the more than 100 staff who have passed through the school.
Mrs Solomon has taught at several schools but her longest stint has been at Kaitao.
In 1969 she was teaching at Sunset Intermediate when the Government decided to open another intermediate school in the area.
Sunset Intermediate principal Tam Graves took up the role as principal of the new school and invited his staff to apply for jobs there.
Mrs Solomon has been there ever since - the last 15 years as deputy principal.
She says she has stayed so long because of the challenges it has offered her.
"This school in the 35 years since it was established has been a school where things have never stood still. This school is always coming up with fresh initiatives."
She is retiring because "the time is right".
She wants to spend more time with her family and on other interests, including netball.
She says the students she taught in the early days of the school are quite different to those she teaches now.
They are far more outspoken and some are not that happy about being at school. The breakdown of the family unit is partly to blame, she says.
She believes there are many parents who have no idea where their children are "from Monday to Saturday".
Teachers are also expected to do a lot more for their students than they should be doing, she says.
"They do everything humanly possible [for the children] apart from taking the kids to their own homes."
However, Mrs Solomon is passionate about her pupils and says it's their "extreme friendliness" she is going to miss.
She says the school will do well over the next 35 years, as long as it gets some stability with staff.
In the past 10 years most teachers have stayed for just one or two years - although about a dozen of them have left to become principals at other schools.
Tomorrow's celebrations include tours of the school, performances by various students and a reunion dinner at the Rotorua Racecourse which will be attended by about 160 mostly former staff including the three former principals of the school.
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