Alexander Sinton High School’s first female principal in its 67-year history, is handing over the baton, after 40 years in education.
Adela Domingo retired from the profession this week, at the same school she started her career four decades ago.
During her time at the school, Ms Domingo scored a hat-trick, she was the first female head of department at the age of 29, then held the position of first female deputy principal for 20 years, before being appointed as the school’s firs female principal four-and-a-half years ago.
Teaching came naturally to her, as she comes from a family of teachers.
“Some of my family members were my teachers. For me, it was a natural choice. When my son went to university, I thought he would study in another field, but he too, chose education,” she said.
When asked why she chose to stay at the same school for her entire career, Ms Domingo added: “We come from an era where if you found a good job, you stick to it. We had a different mindset then.”
Among the highlights during her time at the school was being part of the rich history of the school and its fight against apartheid.
“I matriculated in Durban and then enrolled at the then Hewat College. I also studied at the University of Cape Town. I came from a very sheltered life, and while at Alexander Sinton, I was tossed into politics. It was such an awakening for me. The athletics competition was always a highlight for me. We became quite accustomed to winning. Also, when our school was established as an arts-focus school, it created a very good atmosphere here. Talented children were given an opportunity they did not get previously.”
Another initiative Ms Domingo can look proudly back on is her involvement with adult education. She was the principal of the adult education centre at Alexander Sinton for “quite a few years”.
“It was very successful and received many awards. Even after we had to close it down six years ago, because of a lack of funding, there is still a lot of requests for night school. My experience there served as good preparation for taking on the role as deputy principal and principal of the school,” Ms Domingo said.
She is known as a strict disciplinarian, but she doesn’t mind this reputation, as discipline is important for a pupil, she believes.
Ms Domingo has no set plans for her future, other than knowing that she won’t be lost to education – even if she has to do it on an ad hoc basis. She would leave the school in good hands, she said, as the current staff complement was young and committed to their work. She is also looking forward to travelling to Europe with her family in March.
Her message to young teachers is: “Dedication and commitment are important for the job. Don’t expect it to be a high-paying job. Most importantly, put the child first. A teacher must understand the context of a child and not force them in an environment that they do not fit in. They have a world of possibilities awaiting them, because it is not where the child comes from that matters. Teaching can be tough, especially if you don’t have the parents’ co-operation, but it is so fulfilling, especially if you see former pupils doing so well,” she said.
Ms Domingo also reminded parents of the important role they played in their children’s lives.
“A successful child has a parent who is always present in their life. All too often on the Cape Flats, parenting is left in the hands of single mothers because the fathers abdicate their role. This is something I always grappled with.”