The eruption of Mt Ruapehu and 13 operations to his legs hasn’t stopped William Pike becoming a teacher and graduating from The University of Auckland. Both William and his friend and rescuer James Christie recently graduated with Bachelors of Education (Teaching) (Honors).
William and James made national headlines last year when they were caught in an unexpected eruption on Mt Ruapehu that sent a lahar of rocks, water and mud surging through the Dome Hut, pinning William’s legs and narrowly missing James. Although James went for help, William experienced life-threatening hypothermia along with soft tissue injuries and fractures to both his right and left legs. He eventually had to have his right leg amputated below the knee.
The resilient pair received their Honors degrees together at the recent University of Auckland graduation ceremonies and both are now working in a field that is crying out for qualified male teachers. William teaches part-time at Murrays Bay Primary School, and James has a year 7-8 class at Clevedon School.
The friends first met at The University of Auckland where a shared interest in bush walking and mountaineering developed into planning expeditions, including the trip to climb the three major peaks in the Tongariro National Park - Tongariro, Ngauruhoe, and Ruapehu.
They recall that becoming friends was inevitable as there were not many young males in teacher education when they first started studying at the Faculty of Education. "I’m from the North Shore and James is from South Auckland, so if it wasn’t for our studies we would probably have never met," recalls William.
William also says that although studying at University wasn’t a decision he made lightly, he is convinced he has chosen the right career. "After my first practicum I knew teaching was for me, and have not once looked back or considered doing anything else as a profession. I feel that teaching is a real job - it’s not driven by money but instead the objective is to give children the knowledge and skills to participate effectively in society. I believe I can make a difference in some children’s lives - and no amount of money is worth that."
William and James feel strongly that the teaching profession needs more input from males. The number of men in teaching is improving but schools are still keen to actively recruit qualified male teachers. James says he feels that positive role models are more important now than ever, especially since for some boys, school is the only place they will ever get one. This view is fuelled by his own experience of never having had a male teacher in his years at primary school.
"All children learn better with different teaching styles, but in the recent past they haven’t always had the opportunity to experience a male teaching style," says James. "Looking back on my own school years after primary school through university I had male teachers every now and then, and in most cases this made a difference to my achievement levels at the end of the year."
Although William and James made headlines with their story of survival they are both keen to move on with their lives and believe their future is in education. Both are loving their work in the classroom and share the long-term goal of becoming school principals. And with guys like this in teaching, there will be plenty of inspiration for their students, and hopefully a few more male teachers who realise here is an opportunity to make a difference and find real satisfaction in a teaching career.
Despite the accident the pair are still taking adventurous trips together, and William has written an autobiography about his experiences. Every Day’s a Good Day will be published in August.
