Brian Thompson, one of our newly inducted members, gave us an interesting insight into his experiences and passion for making a difference.
Brian has two children and four grandchildren and identified the two greatest influences in his life as being family 1st and teaching 2nd.
Born in Arrowtown, Brian moved to Invercargill and attended Teachers College in Dunedin. During his career in education he was Principal in a number of schools before retiring in 2011.
Three people who Brian remembers as having an influence on his life were cricketer Gren Alabaster who he worked with as a DP in Riverton who he remains good friends with to this day.
The 2nd person who he knew at Rosedale Intermediate said that he would amount to nothing and Brian was pleased to run into him later in his career to share what he had accomplished. This helped Brian ensure he was very careful what he said to others as you never know when it might come back to bite you.
Another teacher Brian remembers had the unique gift of being able to make you feel that you were the only person in the room, that what you said was important, and that you should always strive to do your best. High praise indeed.
One thing Brian remembers while going through his schooling was always getting caught when misbehaving which gave him an affinity for kids with behavioural challenges in his teaching life.
Brian’s last school prior to retirement was a local Decile 1 with a high number of the students being raised in single parent homes. He took the opportunity to put various behavioural models in place while in this setting that helped make a positive difference.
Part of this approach was based on five underlying rules:
- Start every day by completing a task e.g. make your bed.
- Identify someone to help you through your life.
- Respect everyone, especially yourself.
- Life is not always fair so learn to build bridges to get over the tough times.
- Face down the bullies.
He also urged students to “Never give up” and take risks as this creates opportunities.
Brian then shared the story of one female student in particular who arrived from another school. There were issues in the home but one thing Brian was pleased with was encouraging and succeeding in getting her to come to school every day.
She was actively involved in various sports and Brian spent time supporting her as she progressed through school. He remembered one chat they had where he asked her what her future plans were to which she replied: “To have a baby.” He ensured her that one day she would find a nice young man.
After moving on she tried various High Schools but struggled in these environments. Later on in her life she contacted Brian and asked if he could meet with her.
On turning up at the address he found himself outside the Mongrel Mob’s HQ and in he went where he found she had a lovely 3 year old daughter. She asked Brian if he would be her child’s godfather who he visited on a regular basis until they moved North to live in a Marae.
With respect to other students Brian supported, he shared that most have done well including one who is currently guiding Te Reo activities at a local high school. Many others have gone on to play rugby and league at rep level and another coxed in rowing. Two female students have also performed at the Cake Tin.
A key approach that Brian has applied throughout his career is to make the effort to “make a difference” in students’ lives with great success.
We thanked Brian for insights into his fascinating life and look forward to hearing more about the wide array of experiences and talents he brings to Papanui Rotary.
