Fondly remembering past staff Jenny Cutler Jennifer Cutler 31 August 1944 – 7 July 2021 Jenny adored books and their ability to inform us, transform ideas, provide an escape from the mundane, transport us to different places, and blow apart stereotypes. As the daughter of two teachers, with a sister who also joined the teaching profession, it’s not surprising that Jenny gravitated to both University of Auckland and the Auckland Teachers’ Training College when she finished school. Her patience and persistence with kids who struggled with English made her a particularly gifted reading recovery teacher and her talent for library organisation was impressive. The Dio library was her beautifully managed piece of real estate for 22 years and she was always deeply invested in the students who wandered into her mostly calm realm. What set Jenny apart from many others was the amazing degree of intuition she brought to so many of her dealings with students. She always came across as a person who took the time to look beneath the surface and engage with people in a way that was genuine and supportive. Jenny didn’t suffer fools lightly but her infectious laugh and cheeky sense of humour made her one of those teachers who made a particular impact. She was a bundle of energy and took this to the wide range of extracurricular activities in which she was interested. It wasn’t uncommon to see Jenny on the sidelines of a hockey
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game before dashing off to provide support for a debate. I remember her unwavering support for the 1st X1 hockey team, no matter what the outcome. Someone told me that if Jenny’s life was a book, it would be a story of tremendous respect for the power of education and the immeasurable impact of the written word. It would be interspersed with irreverence and laugh-out-loud observations. It would
tackle old and anachronistic ideas and give preconceived prejudice a bloody good shaking. It would address the importance of kids being educated in a collaborative, supportive environment. And it would reflect a woman who is dearly missed by her friends and family, as she is missed by all of us who had the privilege of crossing paths with her on our life journeys. Anna Lawrence
