A Distinguished Contribution
The text used at the service held at St Andrew?s to mark Richard Tuckwell?s retirement as Headteacher of Duddon St Peter?s was from Isaiah 42:
"Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out."
We could have chosen a passage from Galatians in which Paul describes the effects and fruits of the Spirit. These are the fruits of the servants of God: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
Both texts describe the behaviour of the servant of God.
Richard has been Headteacher for 23 years, and obviously a teacher for a lot longer. I am not sure that he has ever explicitly said that teaching has been a vocation, but this is self-evident to all those who have worked with him, and to those whose children have been in his care. In his work he has borne the fruits of the Spirit: gentleness, patience, self-control have been hallmarks of his practice.
Richard has steered the school through great changes. Policies are constantly changing and he has dealt with building and curriculum issues very successfully. He has refused the distractions of league tables and results promoting a curriculum that is always broad and child-friendly. With his colleagues he has developed a very good understanding of how children learn and has worked hard to ensure that they have enjoyed their learning. He has supported children of all abilities and backgrounds and has inspired interests in the children which will remain with them throughout their lives. The school's dedication is to St Peter, which means that the dedication is to a rock. The children of the school look back appreciatively to the foundations laid during their life at Duddon St Peter's.
Richard is not retiring! His work is simply changing. Those who respond to the calling of God can't retire but find new callings. Hopefully the claims on his time will not be so burdensome and the pace of life will not be so frenetic.
As Richard thanks God for the privilege of teaching and learning with children, so we thank him for what he has given to the life of our children. We wish him and Leslie well for the future.
David Herbert