Heideveld Primary School hosted a special ceremony to honour three of its teachers, who each dedicated more than 40 years to the profession.
Principal Rosdien Desai said they decided to honour Yolanda de Hahn, Sumayah Abrahams and Theresa Pullen, as they are “true champions of education”.
“The school’s motto is ‘Reach for everlasting values’, and the three teachers demonstrate that and so much more. They are the full package. They go the extra mile – whether in the classroom, or when they engage parents – and they don’t shy away from doing extra-murals. These are the values we want our pupils to emulate. They are a wealth of knowledge, good disciplinarians, and have excellent work ethics. They are good role models for younger teachers. Their long, proud and dedicated service has not gone unnoticed. With the ceremony, we just wanted to salute them and thank them for all that they ploughed into this profession.They are true champions of education,” Mr Desai said.
During the ceremony, the pupils sang and danced in honour of their teachers, and the messages these brought across, made some of the teachers emotional.
Ms De Hahn started her teaching career in 1975 at Willows Primary in Heideveld, where she worked for three months, and the rest of the year she was placed at Welcome Primary. In 1976, she started at Heideveld Primary and has been there since.
“It really touched my heart to see my little Grade 2s perform for me. It’s heart warming to see people are appreciating you. I had tears in my eyes when the children sang that we are their heroes,” Ms De Hahn said.
Ms Abrahams started teaching in 1976 at Surrey Primary School and moved to Heideveld Primary 14 years ago.
“This is where I’ve grown and realised my strength. When I reflect today, I wouldn’t want to change a thing,” Ms Abrahams said.
Ms Pullen started teaching at St Albert’s Primary in Port Elizabeth in 1974. She moved to Cape Town in 1992, and first taught at Fairview Moravian School before she joined Heideveld Primary.
“Today was not only a huge surprise to me – it was so big, and it was very humbling. We spent all these years trying to inspire young children and to develop young minds. The ceremony is highly appreciated and very humbling,” Ms Pullen said.
