As a 52-year-old teacher who left a primary school after 18 years this summer, I wanted to give Libby Purves a big hug for her words on retiring teachers (TES, July 16).
I am moving to a larger school in September - but the school I have just left was my first, so it feels like a retirement.
Undoubtedly, I have shown signs of being jaded - why else move from a school that has suited me well for so long? But my thanks go to the parents at the school who have raised their glasses to my “ripeness”.
Maybe parents are “delightful amateurs”, but it is a foolish head who ignores their opinions or becomes, in Alan Bennett’s words, “the main enemy of culture in any school”.
Traditional teachers may not have the latest theories or the boundless energy of newcomers, but they can offer the desire to “pass the parcel”.
Gini Wells 6 St Loyes Terrace Exeter
