A MUCH-LOVED teacher hangs up her white-board marker and red pen today as she ends a 55 year involvement in full-time education.Wendi Laflin retires as assistant head and special needs co-ordinator of Roman Hill Primary School after 20 years and two terms at the Lowestoft school, bringing to an end a memorable teaching career.

A MUCH-LOVED teacher hangs up her white-board marker and red pen today as she ends a 55 year involvement in full-time education.

Wendi Laflin retires as assistant head and special needs co-ordinator of Roman Hill Primary School after 20 years and two terms at the Lowestoft school, bringing to an end a memorable teaching career.

Mrs Laflin began working in Suffolk schools in 1970 and over the last 39 years has worked at Whitton Green, St Margaret's Infants, Wrentham Primary, Reydon Primary and Roman Hill Primary.

'I've been a teacher all my working career,' she said. 'Including my university years I've been in education since I was five years old - I think I deserve a change.'

Mrs Laflin joined Roman Hill, Love Road, in 1989. In 2001 she founded a special nurture group to help children with their social skills and earlier this year was nominated for The Journal's Pride in The Community Teacher of the Year award by headteacher Sandra Batley and pupils Leo, Jake, Rory, Kieron, Alfie-Jack and John.

Mrs Batley said: 'Wendi is loved by all her pupils and if you could see the smiles of the children when they have completed a lesson with her you would know why.'

Mrs Laflin, 60, is planning to enjoy her retirement travelling and catching up with friends together with her husband Roy, who retired from teaching six years ago. However, her association with Suffolk education will not end as her two daughters are both teachers in the county and she is planning to remain as a governor at Roman Hill.