“Teaching is leaving a vestige of oneself in the development of another. And surely the student is a bank where you can deposit your most precious treasures”.
Eugene P. Bertin
This year at the beginning of spring marks a huge milestone for me. It will be 20 years ago that two dreams blossomed at the very same time in my life. It was in the September of 2001 that I opened my playschool Bella Bee. It was also the year I became a teacher in Early Childhood Development, which is the age group from 1-6 years. This is a wonderful age group to teach.
I believe teachers are born teachers. Let me share my story with you today. My love for children and my passion for teaching began when I was just 7 years old. I would return from school each day and spend my afternoons teaching my little sister, Gaynor (age 3) all I had learnt that very day. It was the love of teaching that inspired me.
When she started school at age 6, she was in Grade 1 for 5 days and was promoted to Grade 2. The principal asked my parents who the teacher was, in the family. He said that the teacher had done a fine job. That day a teacher was born. My love for teaching and education has grown over the years. I still get excited about teaching. I share a special connection with children.
When I started home schooling my own children, I stumbled across an amazing and delightful educator namely Charlotte Mason. She became my mentor and inspired the Gentle Art of Teaching. I believe in a firm foundation in early childhood makes all the difference in later years. Most of my students achieve high academic levels at school.I am very proud of them.
I intended to teach Foundation Phase but God had a better plan for me and it was by His grace that I became an ECD teacher. I am so thankful I did. When I started teaching I thought I was just going to teach children. I never realised how much children would teach me about myself and the world. It has been an inspiring and exciting journey for us all.
I have made many wonderful memories along the way. There have been many days I have laughed at the things children do or say. It is just so cute and they are so innocent. Here are a few of those stories.
A little boy in my group was so impressed with the information I shared about the black widow spider. The next day he came to school and said teacher, “ Can you please show me another picture of the black wooden spider.” “ Yes, indeed.” I said with a smile.
One year at our Christmas concert a little boy who was playing the role of a shepherd. Lifted his Sheppard rod to the sky and shouted out as a flock of ducks flew over. “Bang, bang, I got you.” Then he continued his lines of the play. It was so funny. It was like it had been staged as part of the play.
A little girl was trying to get her flip flops on. She said, teacher can you help me put on my plop plops.”
In 2009 I had the privileged of being invited to Hendrik Louw Primary School to watch their review. It so happened that from Grade R to Grade 7 in each class was a child that I had taught at my playschool. I was able to watch, through tears of joy and delight as they stood out on the stage and made me so proud of them all for their outstanding performance.
The best part of teaching is when you teach a child something that they are really struggling to understand and then one morning their face lights up as now they can do it. What an amazing reward. Then there are all, the warm loving hugs and I love you Teacher Grace that fill my heart daily. I always think how lucky I am to be doing this amazing job.
The hardest part of my job by far, is having, to say good bye to my children when they leave to go on to big school. This is the next part of their growing up journey and my job is now done. It is not easy. Each child lives on in my memory and in my heart forever.
In celebration of this great milestone I would like to thank all the parents for sharing their children with me over the years. It has definitely made my life richer for knowing you all. For all my wonderful children out in the world, most of them young adults now thank you all for the wonderful memories and most of all, for the gift you gave me by being just you. You are all in my heart forever.
