Drawn to a career in education by his passion for reading and studying literature when he was a student, the end of the current 2023 academic year closes the book on 39 years in education for Dr. Paul Barker, President of Our Lady of Good Counsel High School. 

This interview is the third one in a three-part series which explores Dr. Barker’s plans for a peaceful retirement in his home country, New Zealand. Part one covered what he was like as a student. And part two covered how he became a school leader.

Q: You are retiring this year. It’s natural to reflect during these big life milestones. I’m curious, if you could change one thing about your time, influence, or leadership at GC, what would you change and why?

A: Um, nothing. I’d probably have to give it some more thought. I think the fact that nothing immediately springs to mind is a good sign! I know I haven’t made every decision perfectly. There have been some things, in the day-to-day, I would love to do over again, but no. I really don’t [think I would change anything].

Q: How do you feel about passing along the title of GC President? Do you have mixed feelings?

A: I mean, catholic schools came up with this title of “president.” I think, because [the title is] not found outside of Catholic schools, that it’s a bit puzzling to some people. Over time I have become more fond of the term “Head of School,” but the title here is, for better or worse, President.

Q: What are your plans for retirement? Do you have plans, goals, interests you want to pursue? 

A: Well, a lot of people, you know, ask [this same question.] I told people three years ago that I was retiring. 

You run into those who know you are retiring and may even tell you about their experiences. I ran into two kinds of retirees: the ones who were like “I’m so busy and I’ve never been so busy as I am now” or the people who left and say “I play golf once in a while” and “take time to decompress.” It’s sort of going from having one foot on the throttle everyday and then waking up one day and you don’t have anything like that. It’s an adjustment.

I am in the position where my son and daughter-in-law and my two grandchildren are in New Zealand. So, pretty much the day I retire, I’m getting on a plane and going to New Zealand where I can help look after them, especially my six-week old grandson who is in day care. Basically, by that point, I’ll be looking after a nine month old for about a month and a half.

I’m kind of looking forward to that because it’s so different from what I have to do now. The only other thing is I’m kind of interested in my little parish school. I think I could be useful there to sort of help the grade school kids in math, etc.

I’ve got some skills, but that’s sort of stepping back from the intensity of GC and a big high school [that I’m looking at]. Maybe there’s something in an educational setting, but there’s lots of other ideas out there, too. I could probably be effective teaching a program for people who want to be principals. I don’t know. I’ve got a bit of time to figure it out. I’ve also had some ideas in my head about writing. Maybe I’ll actually follow through. We’ll see. I’ve got time.