A teacher at our school is retiring after nearly five decades in the profession.

Hilary Johnson joined Smithdon High School as a Maths Teacher in 1980 and has held a number of different roles during her varied career at the school, which is part of the West Norfolk Academies Trust.

“Over the 46 years, I have held many responsibilities, the first being Head of Careers in the eighties,” she said. “When the Headteacher, Doug Little, appointed me, he said I would have an interesting career, and he was right.

“When the Sixth Form opened at Smithdon, I was involved from the first year coordinating our link for vocational courses with the college in King’s Lynn. This led to my next role as GNVQ Coordinator, then Assistant Director of Sixth Form, and subsequently Director of Sixth Form.”

During her time at Smithdon, Miss Johnson witnessed the introduction of the GCSE exam system, as well as the arrival of a range of technology.

She continued: “I started with a blackboard and chalk and a textbook for each student, then along came overhead projectors and transparencies, whiteboards and marker pens, then eventually IT came into the classroom, with computers, screens, and interactive whiteboards.

“When I started teaching, there were two or three Commodore Pet computers in one classroom. This was followed by a suite of BBC computers and Archimedes, before eventually the PC arrived. It was the Maths Department who took this new technology on board, hence leading to me teaching Computer Studies and adult education night classes in word processing, spreadsheets et cetera.”

She has also been involved in extra-curricular activities, and has even had a brush with royalty.

She explained: “Lunchtime used to be one hour and twenty-five minutes, enabling great extra-curricular activities to take place. This gave me the opportunity to be involved in my second subject, Music, teaching guitar (folk and classical) to many young people. This also resulted in me being involved in school productions and concerts.

“I have valued the opportunities to develop in so many areas, as well as to teach Maths to so many young people.

“It was also a privilege to meet Queen Elizabeth II when she opened the new building in 2000.”

She added: “Every day and every day lesson is different. There have been so many memorable moments that it is hard to single one out. The Year 9 lesson when a sixth former had left some sheets on the desk, so the Year 9 students taught himself the A-Level work while keeping an eye on the lesson I was teaching. Opportunities like that do not arise now, as the school no longer has a Sixth Form.

“I will miss the teaching, the students, and my colleagues.”

Following her retirement, Miss Johnson hopes to spend more time with her grandchildren – and perhaps with her guitar.

Our Acting Headteacher, Sarah Robinson, said: “Words cannot do justice to the contribution that Hilary has made to Smithdon over her 46 years. The impact she has had on generations of students, families, staff, and the wider community is incredible.

“She has rightly been described as ‘Smithdon Royalty’, and we wish her all the best in her well-deserved retirement.”