Tauranga's Mike and Katrina Donnelly will join hundreds of teachers sharing memories and catching up with old friends when the University of Waikato's Faculty of Education celebrates 50 years of teacher education this month.

Mike and Katrina Donnelly are part of the University of Waikato's teaching alumni.

The Donnellys, who live in Welcome Bay, both started at the former Hamilton Teachers' College in 1963. Mike, from Putaruru, and Katrina, from Tauranga, met and fell in love during their two years there. They married in 1968 and continued their teaching careers in Cambridge, Waihi and, since 1980, in Tauranga.

Fortunately for Katrina, and the many children she has taught over the years, old-fashioned attitudes were changing by the time the pair graduated at the end of 1964.

Until then, women were generally not expected to teach again after beginning a family, but this year Katrina celebrates 30 years as a teacher at Greenpark School.

Starting there in 1980 when she returned to Tauranga, she has taught in nearly all areas of the school, including five years as associate principal, before beginning a part-time role as an individual needs teacher specialising in reading.

A photo from the Donnelly's earlier days.

'I couldn't wait to get back to it,” says Katrina, who had eight years away from teaching until her two children, Stephen and Melissa, were at school.

'I just love teaching, especially the joy of seeing children realise they can achieve with just a little help.

'It can make such a huge change to their lives – their confidence and enthusiasm blossom, their heads go up and they smile. It's very satisfying.”

Mike agrees and while he has now retired from teaching, he loves hearing from students he has taught over the years. Earlier this year a student from his very first year as a teacher in Benneydale, near Te Kuiti, wrote to thank him for inspiring her to write.

The student published her first novel this year and Mike and Katrina went to the book launch.

While that particular student remembered her teacher for his English language skills, Mike's main passion was in maths, science and particularly computing, where he felt 'right at home” as soon as the school bought its first PC. Mike also taught himself guitar and taught children singing and recorder.

After teaching for many years at Welcome Bay School, as well as some time at Tauranga Intermediate, Mike hasn't yet said goodbye to the kids of Tauranga and continues to work part-time as a school bus driver around the region.

As students, the Donnellys spent five terms at the college's former Melville site in Hamilton before it moved to its current site in Hillcrest in 1964, where the university is now located. While the university opened in 1964 and began building around the college, it wasn't until 1991 that the two institutions merged to become New Zealand's first fully professional school of education. It is now called the Faculty of Education.

'It was much more like a high school in those days, with structured classes between 9am and 4pm,” says Mike.

'We sat in a big hall for our lectures, took part in organised sports teams, and had to wear a shirt and tie every day to class. We were paid to go to Teachers' College. It was a small salary but that paid for your board and most of your living costs. We still worked during our holidays, but we didn't come out with a loan to repay at the end of our study.”

Despite plenty of differences experienced by student teachers in the 1960s compared to today, some things don't change easily.

'I can remember staying up all night to get my assignments finished,” says Katrina. 'Probably because we were having so much fun!”

She says while teaching has changed markedly over the years, she still rates it as a fantastic profession.

'You have to be prepared for a lot of hard work but, most importantly, be prepared for a great deal of satisfaction and reward.”

The Faculty of Education 50 year reunion celebrations take place on 13 November at the University of Waikato campus in Hamilton.