b'FINAL DEPARTURE CALLHow long have you been teaching/Funny moment at HGS?been at HGS?Seeing Mr Gallagher and Wendy the Thirty-seven years in different typescaretaker on the rollercoaster at Alton of schools: inner city, independent,Towers (this is the only one I am allowed to challenging, all girls, all boys. Ten years atpublish!).HGSsaving the best until last! Favourite memory of HGS?What will you miss most about HGS?Being part of the HGS team to reach an Without a doubt the students, staff,Outstanding Ofsted judgement!parents, governorsindeed all stakeholderseven the locals when on What advice would you like to give to gate duty in the mornings!the students of HGS? The greatest test in life is how you handle aHow would people describe you?person who mistreats you! Be yourself at all I was once described as a battleaxe withtimes. Make no apology for who you area heart! Fortunately former students and colleagues seem to remember more of the If you could go back in time and tellheart than the battleaxe! But, as I have said your younger self anything, whatso many times when trying to establish the would it be? truth: I can be your best friend or yourDo everything with a good heart and expect worst enemy; I do not like lies or surprises nothing in return and you will never be even on my birthday! disappointed! What changes have you seen in your Motto/saying you live your life by?time here? Lots! Buildings created and renovated.Success is not final, Systems and procedures introduced.failure is not fatal: it isA positive ethos and can do culturethe courage to continueestablished. A safe environment to namethat counts(Winston Churchill)but a few!Ms VincentAUF WIEDERSEHEN MRS FIESS! Why did you choose to teach in the UK?all fascinating. The more you learn, the more reference points you After working at uni, I knew I wanted to be a teacher; but, indiscover and the more you understand what possibilities there are Germany, that would have been very complicated. When I foundof expressing things you didnt even know you were able to say as you could do a teacher training course in one year in the UK, it wasthey dont exist in your own language.a perfect fit, and I went to Wales. When I qualified, I found my first Is it important to speak other languages? job in the Midlands and this is where I have stayed since. As I have never taught in a secondary school in Germany, the UK schoolA resounding YES! As a language teacher, I am probably biased, system felt much more normal to me as a teacher. but learning other languages enriches you beyond just the ability to go and book a hotel in a different country. You learn aboutWhat languages do you speak, and different cultures, which makes you more open and more tolerantwhich one is your favourite?as a person. You also learn about how languages, including your own, function and it is really good for practising your analytical and I speak German, English, French and Irish fluently. Additionally, Ipattern recognition skills. Also, learning a language makes you have dabbledmore or less successfullywith Spanish, Turkish,more confident as a person. Talking to others in a different language Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Swedish, Esperanto and Macedonian, whichneeds a lot of courage. Finally, it can open doors; just a few words I was all able to speak passably at one point but they would needto someone in their language shows them you care and you have serious refreshing. At the moment, all my efforts go into learningrespect for them and their culture, and it helps a lot in the workplace Mandarin. I dont really have one favourite language as I find themas our world is a globalised one.50'