After teaching preschoolers in Raglan for decades Anne Snowden got increasingly used to seeing the children she nurtured long ago – now parents themselves – bringing their own littlies into Whaingaroa Childcare Centre.
“So glad you’re still here” or “I remember coming here” were the typical reactions.
How did that feel? “It was great,” the ever-cheerful Anne told the Chronicle last week, just a few days into her retirement from a 28-year career. “And lovely for the parents as well because they already had a connection.”
Not that Anne always recognised her young protégés as adults, either at the childcare centre or around town. When the likes of a “bearded creature” said hi in the supermarket or a young waiter acknowledged her by name downtown at a cafe, it invariably came as a bit of a surprise.
And when she had her farewell dinner at the Harbour View Hotel last week Anne didn’t realise at the time that “two of our kids from way back” were on duty at the pub.
That’s just the way it goes when you’ve lived 33 years in town and taught two generations – some since they were in nappies – she laughs.
Anne also had a festive morning ‘mat time’ with the children and fellow teachers at Whaingaroa Childcare on her final day of work, which coincidentally was just after World Book Day. To mark both occasions everybody dressed up as their favourite storybook character, including Anne who was ‘Cranky Granny’ – though she looked anything but cranky.
She reckons she will become a professional granny instead, since she’s retired and already has five grandchildren to practice on.
With her four now grown-up daughters, Anne says she’s always had a passion for children which inevitably led to a teaching career. She remembers husband Mark bringing youngest daughter Kate to her to breastfeed when she started out her career at Raglan Kindergarten in Stewart St.
After a year there Anne moved on to become one of the original teachers at the newly opened Raglan Childcare in Wallis St, where she remained until last week. In her 27 years there she’s seen two changes of ownership, with the name changing first to Magnolia Tree then to Whaingaroa Childcare.
What’s been best about it all? Well she’s grateful to have worked in this close-knit community, and for the support shown to “our” tamariki. “If anyone asks for help, it’s there,” Anne reckons. And people notice if you need help and will be there for you too, she adds.
It does indeed take a village to raise a child, she believes.
The only downside of her teaching career, Anne says, has been the endless paperwork needed to fulfill educational requirements. “You have to stand on your head to meet Government regulations,” she says, when it’s the actual nurturing of “our tamariki” which should matter most.
Anne has missed in recent years the putting together of each child’s portfolio – an individual collection of their work and observations that document learning and development over time. That work is now all online, and the children have had to get the tablet out to see it, Anne explains, as there’s no computer “on the floor”.
It’s just not the same as making a real scrapbook or portfolio like back in the old days, she laments. Children can’t share their stories with friends and family so easily, and have conversations while turning the pages which record their learning “journey”.
akids “who can do anything on phones” – perhaps at the expense of face-to-face contact – may have some language difficulties.
For all that she has obviously loved, as contemporary Sioux Swann recently put it, “raising half of Raglan in her role as early childhood teacher”.
But now it’s time to kick back and get used to another way of life.
She helped out with the ‘Feed the Kids’ programme at Raglan Area School her first week off, along with a few other new retirees, and that was “way fun”. She’ll possibly go back to the local Clay Shed on Wednesday nights and do pottery again. “And I’ll sort out my house and section … Mark doesn’t know how many jobs I’ve got lined up for him,” she quips.
As for the almost de rigueur overseas trip, Anne and Mark – married now more than 40 years – reckon they might instead just cross Cook Strait to spend some quality time with daughter Jen, herself also a former Raglan childcare teacher.
by Edith Symes
