Umberto Salvatore [Bert] Zagami was a well known Primary School Principal. During his service in many parts of the state, he completed a Masters degree and raised a large family. An early possessor of a Masters, he set the bar for many colleagues. For a short while he was a District Inspector of Schools in the South West Region, but returned to Principalship for family reasons. While Principal of Mt. Gravatt East State School he introduced the Edmonton Continuous Plan, an innovative arrangement of classes that streamed pupils in a fashion that promoted competition and confidence at the same time as it attempted to reduce stress on Teachers.
He was President of the Queensland Teachers Union from 1962 to 1964, the last Primary Teacher to occupy this position. He was later the first Union representative on a standing committee that handled the transfer and promotions of Primary Principals, working in concert with the Director and Deputy Director of Primary Education.
While undertaking these tasks, energetic Bert wrote Mathematics school books that helped children to handle the new approaches to the teaching of Mathematics. [See "Good Old-fashioned Maths....".] He had worked with Departmental Curriculum officers in establishing a framework so he had an inside track. The Gattegno method of using the coloured Cuisenaire rods had been introduced in the early 1960s and Merv Gredden, District Inspector of Schools together with Dick Crone, Principal had written mathematics books based on the Cuisenaire rods all designed to help Teachers cope with the changes. Bert’s books took things further and became more popular than Merv’s. Indeed, some Teachers used to say that they taught “Zagami” as an alternative to “Cuisenaire”. In 1973 Ray appreciated the assistance.
Zagami
[Tune: "Ramona"]
Zagami, I’ve known you now for many munce;
Zagami, without your help I’d be a dunce.
I need you, I heed you in every part of Stage 1 and 2;
I choose you, I use you each time I come to anything new.
Zagami, a medal surely you deserve;
Zagami, you make it easier than Merv;
I owe you more than I can ever hope to pay -
Zagami, U.S., you’re O.K.
