Auckland chemistry teacher honoured with award

Chemistry is one of those subjects that has long been considered more popular among boys than girls.

But that's not the case at the Auckland girls' school St Cuthbert's College.

Today the school's head of chemistry was honoured with a national award for excellence in teaching.

Ian Torrie has been teaching chemistry for almost 40 years and says when it stops being fun, he'll retire.

For now, retirement seems a long way off.

"It keeps me feeling young," he says, "I don't feel like I have been teaching for 40 years, and I think working with young people is an amazing gift to receive."

Today Mr Torrie won an Australian Scholarships Group National Excellence in Teaching award one of five who will receive awards this year from more than 600 nominations.

It's an award he says he accepted for the thousands of teachers out there who are passionate about what they do.

"I've always said you can be the greatest communicator, the greatest teacher in the world, but if you haven't captured their imagination first of all, there is no point doing what you do, because if they are not listening, what's the point?" he says.

Chemistry is second only to English as the most popular NCEA subject at St Cuthbert's.

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Auckland chemistry teacher honoured with award