Beard Reflects On His 40 Year Teaching Career
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Long-serving teacher Jon Beard has retired after devoting more than 40 years of his life to Saltus Grammar School.
Mr Beard spent 25 years as head of physical education, ten years as head of Saltus Graduate Years, two years as director of alumni relations and seven years as the head teacher responsible for advancement.
Arriving in Bermuda, aged 24 in 1977, from a school in Gloucestershire, Mr Beard admits he had second thoughts about moving to the island until colleagues convinced him he would be making a huge mistake.
It is a decision he has never once regretted.
“I had been teaching in the UK for a couple of years; Britain in the mid-70s was not a great place to be,” Mr Beard told Bernews. “Plus, the weather was certainly not great for someone who passionately wanted to teach PE outside!
“I saw the advert in the Times Educational Supplement and thought ‘that sounds ideal’. But first had to look up where Bermuda was! I was interviewed in London and offered the job a week later.
“I was on a football tour in Belgium with the school football team. My wife called me, no mean feat without cell phones, to say I had been offered the job.
“I wasn’t too sure and mentioned this to the other coaches, who stared at me and told me I must be mad not to say yes, and suitably chastised, I happily accepted the position.”
Mr Beard, who has taught subjects including English, geography and history, has spent the past 12 months on a “farewell tour”, organised by the advancement department, travelling to Boston, California, London and New York to meet with alumni.
“It was a terrific opportunity to meet so many alumni and to share their memories of the school,” Mr Beard said.
“It has been a great place to work. To me, it has been like a big family.
“It was recently pointed out that I’ve been at Saltus for ⅓ of its existence ⅔ of my life!”
Inevitably, Mr Beard’s 45 years at Saltus have coincided with significant changes, including the school becoming fully co-ed, the development of the Haygarth Gym, and the building of the Bermuda Amateur Swimming Association pool.
Other changes include the appointment of a full-time athletic director and groundsman.
“For more than five years, I had to mark the sports fields for all the sports, which was normal for PE staff around the island. Most of us had to use sump oil for marking!” said Beard, the chairman of the Bermuda Island Games Association and former member of the Bermuda Football Association.
Mr Beard said he intends to continue helping Saltus “in any way I can” in retirement.
“I have always enjoyed teaching at Saltus,” he said. “But perhaps the sports tours we organised to the UK, Canada and the US and the satisfaction of seeing students get into their ‘best fit’ university are among the highlights.
“I’m taking [retirement] one step at a time. I’m looking forward to September when I will hopefully do some travelling.”
