'It'll never be the right time', but after 45 years, Mrs Walsh is leaving the classroom

After 45 years, Louise Walsh closed the door of her classroom one last time on Wednesday.

Not having any children of her own, teaching for Mrs Walsh was a career that filled the space in her heart with years of love and learning.

"It's been a true vocation in life. It hasn't been a job, it's been a love from start to finish," she said.

"The reason I became a teacher is because it just felt like that was the only thing to do. I loved kids, I came from a big family with six children. It was just what I needed to do.

"Because I don't have my own children, I don't have grandchildren to be minding and all that, so there's going to be a huge gap."

Mrs Walsh started her teaching career in 1977 at St Therese's Primary School for nine years, then moved to a small Catholic school in Windale for three years, before travelling the world and working as a nanny in London.

After coming back to teaching in Australia, she worked at various schools, climbing the executive ladder, eventually taking on the role of school principal at what she describes as a "beautiful" infants school in East Maitland.

Mrs Walsh adored that job, but missed teaching in the classroom. Ultimately, she decided she needed a break, enrolling in university in her 40s.

Working in speech pathology was incredibly rewarding for Mrs Walsh. After university, she worked with children and adults with traumatic brain injury for four years, helping them regain their speech.

So, when someone called saying there was a job at a Catholic school with her name on it, Mrs Walsh said "I'm happy where I am."

After much deliberation, she decided to go for it.

"I went for the job at the very last minute and thought if I get it, I'm meant to have it ... I got it"

The role was for a small intensive language class at St Dominic's Catholic College for the hearing impaired. She created a program using both her education and speech pathology backgrounds, and had great results with the children.

Years later, when this program ended, Mrs Walsh had to choose between speech pathology and teaching.

She decided that teaching was her passion.

"I've taught all classes, kinder to year six... but my absolute passion is with the little ones, the five- and six-year-olds," she said

"My absolute favourite thing is teaching them to read and write."

After 18 years at St Columba's Primary School in Adamstown, Mrs Walsh worked out that she had taught more than 450 students at that school alone.

"Someone said to me once 'you've got too much love to give children to just give it to your own'," she said.

"I always wanted six of my own, it didn't happen. But I don't think I could have given the energy and time... [for] the 120 per cent and then go home and have to do family stuff."

A poster that was given to her some years ago by the mother of a student still hangs on her wall. It says that in 100 years from now it won't matter what car you drove or the house you lived in. What would matter is that you were important in the life of a child.

"That has actually been my philosophy to make a difference and to help children, not just to learn, but to be the best little people they can be," she said.

Mrs Walsh plans to take her days slowly at the start, spending time with her elderly mother, "stopping to smell the roses", and watching more sunrises.

"I am excited. I also know ... there's going to be a big sense of loss and something that I need to ... work through," she said.

"I'll miss everyone because I will feel it, we are a family

"It'll never be the right time, because I love it so much."

When asked to give advice to new teachers she said: "meet them where they're at," as every child is different, and they will all catch up.

Mrs Walsh's last day at St Columba's Primary School was Wednesday July 1. The school had farewell activities planned all day.