Dorothy Meredith: Enjoyed all aspects of Ohakune living

Waimarino Bulletin, Issue 6, 26 August 1988, Page 23

Dorothy Meredith: Enjoyed all aspects of Ohakune living

Ruapehu College teacher Dorothy Meredith leaves this month "feeling good about having been here" in the Waimarino.

She says she knew very little about the area before she moved here in 1979, but that the community and the school "have been really brilliant". Mrs Meredith leaves with her husband, Ruapehu College Principal Ian, for Onewhero. He takes up the job of princip al there w h i 1 e Dorothy will be a full time relieving teacher for term three at nearby Pukekohe High School. Mrs Meredith says she will miss Ruapehu College because, she says: "it's my style of school, where y o u know everybody. It gives you all-round quality education." Pukekohe High School has a role of about 1200, about three times the size of Ruapehu College. She says there is a real advantage in knowing all the students for the job she has been doing, which is careers adviser and transition education teacher. The "transition education" part of the job has involved helping students prepare for the change from school to work or higher education. This involved

overseeing the work experience and LINK programmes. The LINK programme is where students travel to Wanganui Community College for lectures and v i s i t universities and technical institutes. Dorothy says the work experience programme has been very successful. The programme has seen students working out i n the community, at what was the Raetihi Borough Council, at engineering firms, for the Department of Conservation and at the Bulletin. "For many of them it's a real motivating force," said Mrs Meredith. She said the students hear from other people what she and their teachers have been telling them, so they start to take more notice. ."They find out that you do have to be reliable, you do have to be trustworthy, you do have to be willing," said Dorothy. Some find out their chosen work was not really what they were interested in, but there are more positives than

negatives from the programme, says Mrs Meredith. She says careers advising nowadays is a much more active job, that because the job market is much tighter and there is a wider range of types of jobs, young people now need much more information and much more positive motivation. This has seen her working more with the students, starting with their first enquiry, helping with curriculum vitaes, interview skills and personal presentation. Also, she would read the employment columns of papers daily and clip jobs for students. Sometimes when she knew a particular student would be interested and sometimes for

the notice board for any student. "I really enjoy this work, it's really me," said Dorothy. She said there is lots of job satisfaction for her to see students explore possibilities and then "charge after something and get it". Other responsibilities she has had here include teaching life skills. This involves passing information to senior students o n subjects such as budgeting, flatting, personal relationships, careers, health and law. For four years Mrs Meredith has also been the school's guidance councillor, in charge of helping students deal

with personal problems and working through personal development programmes. She has also taught a science class and a school certificate English class. Mrs Meredith started at the college as an assistant teacher, has taught science, chemistry and physical education, and was head of the science department for two years. She has been the hockey team coach for six years, " president of the Ruapehu Women's Hockey Association for a time, and has coached the school athletics team. She leaves the college "because it's time to move on" but having "really enjoyed every aspect of living in Ohakune".