AFTER twenty-eight years of teaching and leading the Leongatha Primary School in the role of Principal, Dot Coghlan has decided to retire.
Over the decades, simple times have moved into more complex and challenging times, especially in schools, yet Leongatha Primary is the place where all of Dot’s passions in life have come together.
Initially wanting to be a social worker but worried about the emotional pressure, Dot applied to the Rusden Drama School to go into acting but missed out on the final cut and instead decided on teaching.
“What I’ve found in this role is, certainly as a principal, I’m doing all of it. I’m acting with the kids, I’m doing well-being every day of the week with teachers, with students and with parents; and I was teaching as well. I got to do everything that I always wanted to do.”
Dot trained at Burwood Teachers College, with her first position at Bairnsdale Primary School, followed by positions at Moe South Street School, Dumbalk and Mirboo North Primary schools.
Then after having her own children, Brooke and Mark, who attended Leongatha Primary, Dot transferred.
Initially, she taught grade six and then became the team leader of the senior school, before successfully applying for the position of Assistant Principal.
Dot, however, never wanted to be the principal.
“I thought the buck would stop with me and I found that a little bit daunting,” she admits.
Yet when Rob Higgins, the Principal at the time went on long service leave, Dot stepped into the role of Acting Principal.
She realised that having a say in the direction of the school was important and found it to be a wonderful responsibility and loved it.
As the Principal, Dot was determined to create a school with a great culture where students, teachers, staff and parents were well taken care of.
“Things have changed a lot in our society. Certainly, around here, and therefore children need a lot more support, families need a lot more support.”
“It’s much harder teaching now, there are more students that need support.”
Dot recounts a time when things were simple when teachers could simply teach.
“I still remember going into my grade six classroom with 31 children, one student in a wheelchair, and they just sat there ready to learn. There were no behavioural issues in that classroom. All I had to do was teach.”
One of the first positive steps Dot took was to employ more education support staff, with the school going from around six to now having 32 in the school.
A full-time well-being person will also be starting next term to ensure staff and students have a dedicated person to go to.
Dot is grateful for all the staff who have surrounded her over the years and who have always backed her and, she said, made her job easier.
“I am really proud of the calibre of the staff that we have in this school. I work very hard to employ wonderful teachers and they are. They work their hearts out.”
Dot also commented that parenting has become a really tough job and she is grateful for the community of parents coming to her when they needed to chat and in turn backing her in the role.
While her tenure will soon come to an end, children will continue to play a large role in Dot’s life, albeit in a slightly different way.
Five of her grandchildren will be keeping Dot busy; her daughter has two little boys with another on the way and her son also has two little boys.
“It’s time for me now to be with them, to head down to Melbourne, where they both live and support them.”
Dot and her husband also love to travel and she is looking forward to the freedom of being able to pack up and go whenever they choose, although Dot admits she will miss her job.
“It is a challenging time for principals and it’s not always easy in this role. However, I’ve loved it, and that’s because of the school that Leongatha is. I’ve loved my job.”