Trudie Bester is different; not in a strange way, but in a kind way. She works for Pro-Nobis Special School in Dundee and her work is much more to her than just a pay cheque.
“Your group of children can stay in your class for up to four years if necessary, so they get to know you and you them.”
When she talks about the children in her class, her eyes light up and she refers to them by pet names.
At Pro-Nobis, children are taught skills they can use in the working world. Trudie has a pottery class where she teaches children with very different needs. “Some of my children are autistic while others have Cerebral Palsy and Down Syndrome. As you get to know them, you get to know that every one of them has a beautiful personality. Like my downsies, they are so jolly clever when they’re coming up with mischief. ”
She has learned and grown a lot since she started at Pro-Nobis five years ago. Her mother-in-law Santa Bester is one of the founders of the school. “Her love for the school and the children is so infectious.”
Being a teacher at a special needs school takes a certain type of person. “You really have to put your heart and soul into it. These children are so obedient; all they want is a few hugs every now and then and a lot of attention. You have to give them your everything, as this helps them feel like there is somewhere they belong.”
Although Pro-Nobis is a big part of Trudie’s life, it is certainly not the only thing that is important to her. Besides being a devoted wife and mother of a three-year-old boy named Retief, she is also a singer in a jazz band. As a child, she loved singing. She sang in school choirs and even got the chance to sing at the ‘Aardklop’ National Arts Festival.
She married her husband in a ceremony held at Grey Goose, and at the reception she met another two men who would change her life and re-awaken her love of music. “NT Oosthuizen said they needed a new singer for their jazz band. I wanted to jump at the opportunity, so I lied and said I love jazz, even though I didn’t even know what jazz really was. He was so excited and the more names he mentioned the more I just agreed. I did admit to the band later on that I didn’t know a thing about jazz. ”
Soon after their meeting, NT showed her his jazz studio, and from then on she had the part as singer in the band with NT and Monty Maritz.
“From the very first time we practised together, it was so natural. I fitted in perfectly.”
They perform at a lot of garden parties and other functions. “It is a creative escape and something I can just enjoy.”
But it doesn’t take long before Trudie talks about her work at the school again. “The school has a spring project where the children make something which is then sent out as a gift to all the businesses that support us throughout the year. This year it was my class who had to make something. Since we are the pottery class, we made pottery birds. We made a total of 200 birds to send out and I think they were perfect. Seeing the satisfaction of accomplishment on their faces is such a reward.”
Communicating with some of the deaf children can be problematic at times, so when Tiny Handz came to the school, Trudie was one of the first teachers to jump at the chance to learn sign language. “I taught my son sign language as well. At his age, they still battle to express themselves, so sign language gives him another way of communicating, showing me when he’s hungry or tired.”
The first thing you notice about Trudie is her petite build, dressed in pretty dresses, and her soft reassuring voice, but underneath lurks a woman who has the strength to deal with the pain of others and the self control to love without losing yourself. And the confidence to get up on stage and share her talents with others.
