Interview with Mr Feben

Interview With Mr Feben 

By Louis Inifer, Year 6, Buckley House

I sat down with Mr Feben on Friday the 19th of August, 2023 to discuss some of his highlights, time at Buckley House, and what he is most looking forward to in retirement. 

1.  What would be some of your favourite things you look forward to each day? 

There are a lot of things I look forward to every day. Making Buckley house the best school that it can be for our students, our teachers and for our entire community, is something that makes me want to get out of bed every morning to play my role. My role is no more important than anybody else's role, in some ways we all play a role in helping our school be the best it can be, but certainly that's something I look forward to. I also look forward to meeting and chatting with the students everyday, as well as watching them do  amazing things, being the best they can be. 

2.     How do you think your actions and creative ideas have changed and improved       

this amazing school?  

 I think that my work has helped our students and teachers be the best that they can be. I hope I've provided opportunities for the students to explore new things, to try new things and develop their natural abilities. Whether that be in Sport, Art, Music, Science, Math or English. Whatever it might be I hope we've given them opportunities to really develop. I’ve always tried to encourage students to step outside their comfort zone, take on new challenges and explore new things because sometimes you don't really know what you're capable of until you give something a go. 

3.   Have you had any setbacks, and questioned your journey as a teacher? 

I've never really questioned my journey as a teacher. I think I've always loved  teaching and being a principal. I probably don't do as much teaching as I used to do, but I did start as a teacher. Most principals probably start as a teacher and I've always loved being in front of a class and helping students learn and develop. So, I've never really questioned my time or journey as a teacher. I think like any job there are always setbacks. Even as a student there are setbacks. Life is not always smooth sailing and I think we learn from those setbacks. I think it's those setbacks that help us learn, help us develop and help us understand what we do next time to make things better. 

4.   What are some of the accomplishments you are most proud of in your time at                Buckley House? 

I have been here for a long time. There are probably lots of things that I'm proud of, but I think the one thing that I'm most proud of is that hopefully I've made our school a safe and happy place for our students to grow and develop. Also, I hope I have made B.H a place where teachers can grow professionally and be part of a really friendly and hard working team. I think most importantly, I’ve always said  that what is most important to me is that every student that comes to our school feels proud to be a part of Ivanhoe Grammar School. Everybody here has the right to feel safe and happy at school. This is so they come to a place, where they can reach their potential. 

5.    What are some of the highlights you will always remember from your time at Buckley  house?  

Every day there are highlights. Just seeing the growth and development of students is probably a key highlight for me. To me that is the thing that stands out the most at Buckley House. Kids starting here in the Early Learning Centre then going through and spending pretty much nine years here. Watching students grow and develop over time is probably the highlight for me. There are always other special things that happen. For example, the school’s special events, such as assemblies, dress up days and sporting days. I think the main thing for me is seeing the growth and development of young people during their time here. 

6.    What will you miss most about Buckley House and your time as a teacher and principal?  

Well I think there are lots of things. This might sound funny but Friday afternoon gate duty and saying goodbye to students on a Friday afternoon, chatting to their parents at the gate and talking to them about what they're going to be doing over the weekend. I have always enjoyed that and will miss it. I will miss the chats I have with students and teachers every day. I will miss those special assemblies where we celebrate what our students are doing. I'll miss our music concerts, I’ll miss our Buckley House musicals. There are lots of things I will miss.  The one thing that I will truly treasure the most is how hard working our students really are. 

7.   What are you most looking forward to about retirement? 

People have asked me a lot about that this year. Am I going to  jump on a plane and travel around the world the minute I finish working? Not really, that's not in my immediate plans. I am probably looking forward to not getting out of bed as early every morning. I'm looking forward to having a bit more time to do some of the things that I don't normally get as much time to do when you're in a busy job. I'm looking forward to being able to spend more time with my grandchildren. I've now got four grandchildren and they're all pretty young, the oldest is two and a half and the youngest is about 3 months old. Being able to spend time with them and to be more a part of their lives, as well as being around to help my children who are married with young families. I am looking forward to travelling around, there's parts of Australia that I really want to go and explore. My wife and I have a caravan that we bought in 2018. We want to be able to hook it on and travel around and see different parts of the country. I am probably looking forward to doing a bit more exercise than I get time to do now. Finally, I am looking forward to having a bit more time to do some other things that perhaps, I haven't had as much time to do over the years! 

I enjoyed the opportunity to interview Mr Feben. As I have known him since ELC and have fond memories of me and him throughout Buckley House. I was lucky enough to play golf with him and have him as principal throughout my time at Ivanhoe Grammer. Our school is truly lucky to have someone like you.  

We wish you the best luck and fortune in retirement.