Dedicated Gourock teachers retire after combined total of over a century in classroom

A GROUP of top Gourock teachers who have clocked up more than 100 years in the classroom between them have decided to retire.

Jackie Leck, Rose Gallagher, and Pauline Cormack bid farewell to the St Columba's school community on the last day of term.

The dedicated educators told the Telegraph they were very sad to be leaving the Gourock school and reminisced about what they loved the most about teaching.

Principal teacher of support for learning Pauline Cormack taught at the school for 32 years.

Pauline, 62, said: "The best thing is seeing the difference you make to pupils' lives and the confidence you bring them.

"Just being around young people is lovely. I want to thank the staff and pupils for all the happy years."

Pauline studied at the University of Glasgow then St Andrew's College and started teaching in Ayrshire 37 years ago.

She met the man who would become her husband, Alistair, when he was a teacher at the school in 1993.

(Image: Duncan Bryceland)
Rose Gallagher taught biology at St Columba's for 20 years and was a teacher for 34 years altogether.

Rose, 56, said: "The best thing is hoping that you're making a difference to the children.

"I've loved all the camaraderie with staff as well.

"It's been a fantastic place to work."

Rose studied at St Andrew's College in Bearsden and worked at Greenock Academy, St Stephen's, St Ninian's in Eastwood, and Notre Dame before starting at St Columba's.

Acting faculty head of health and wellbeing Jackie Leck taught at St Columba's for nine years.

She started out in Edinburgh and then moved to London when she was 21.

Jackie moved back to Inverclyde in 2014 and started working at St Columba's in 2015.

She has been teaching for almost 40 years altogether.

Jackie, 60, added: "It's an amazing family at this school. You just don't get a feeling like it anywhere else, and I wouldn't be anywhere else.

"Everyone works together for the good of the school.

"The best thing about being a teacher has been the interaction with my colleagues and kids, and seeing the children grow."

Douglas Morrison, who taught computing at St Columba's for 24 years, has also retired.