Pinetown Girls’ acting principal retires
Elizabeth Benjamin, the retiring acting principal of Pinetown Girls' High School, has dedicated her career to teaching, driven by a passion for education. With a sense of fulfilment, she looks forward to retirement, where she can focus on her personal interests and loved ones.
PINETOWN Girls’ High School’s retiring acting principal Elizabeth Benjamin never imagined being in any other profession other than teaching.
“I could have done anything else but my heart was in teaching. It was a calling,” she said.
Her love for teaching was influenced by her teachers at Berea Girls’ High School. “They were excellent teachers who knew how to convey the knowledge to us as learners.”
Also read: Former acting principal will miss school’s family ethos
After finishing her matric, Benjamin pursued a Bachelor of Arts in English and Geography at the UKZN. She later completed her BA Honours in English and a Higher Diploma in Education (HDE), specialising in English and Mathematics.
Her teaching journey began at Pinetown Girls’, and she has been at the school throughout her 36-year career. For nearly all of those years, Benjamin taught mathematics, a subject she holds in high regard.
“Mathematics is very specialised and abstract,” she explained. “It teaches people to think logically and equips them with strategies to solve problems in other areas of life. It’s more about a way of thinking than the content itself.”
Benjamin retires with a grateful heart, especially proud of the Class of 2024, which achieved a 100% pass rate in mathematics under her guidance.
Her career saw her rise through the ranks; from classroom teacher to Head of Department, then deputy principal, and she is retiring as an acting principal, a role she has held for the past 18 months.
She said her departure is a bittersweet moment. “I will definitely miss the staff, they have been like family. I will also miss the learners. I want to thank them and the school governing body for their support. I wish them all the best,” she said.
Benjamin is excited to embrace retirement and focus on herself and her loved ones.
“I’ll be going back to my hobbies, which include reading, scrapbooking, and cross-stitching.”
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