Antonette Lawrence bids Good Hope Primary farewell
After 28 wonderful years at the school Antonette (50) said goodbye on Friday, 30 June.
POLOKWANE – Antonette said being with the school for so many years has been a life changing journey.
“I believe teaching is a calling as one must have a passion and genuine love for children to be a good teacher. In my 28 years of being a teacher I learned many things about myself and everyone around me. I learned patience and how to accommodate different personalities as I worked with children who each have their unique personalities, learning more about their backgrounds and about them as individuals. As a teacher it’s important to learn how interact with each child respectively so you are able to handle situations fairly and in accordance,” Antonette said.
Good Hope Principal, Cindy Buys, applauded Antonette on her outstanding work and her efforts in making sure the school runs smoothly at all times.
“Antonette was an asset to the school, she helped a lot with regard to the school’s financial management and regularly organised meetings to discuss ideas on how to manage the school which made an immensely positive contribution to the school,” she said.
Antonette said she has learnt a lot about herself from her responsibilities as not only a teacher but as a mother and grandmother.
During her time as a teacher, however, she encountered several challenges such as overcrowding in classrooms and a lack of classroom furniture.
Over the years, however, these challenges were overcome through money raising initiatives to see to the school’s equipment and resource requirements so it could help learners perform to their best ability.
“It was challenging working with over 70 learners in a classroom, it had to be done, however, as the children deserved an education,” Antonette said.
The former teacher in mathematics, language and life orientation for the Gr 3 learners was also part of the fundraising committee who helped the learners cope emotionally at school. She did this by teaching the learners basic life skills such as positive thinking, how to react to certain situations as well as steering their minds to think positive so they can perform at their best, always.
“Most of all I am going to miss the noise. I know the learners were listening to me, even though it sometimes seemed they didn’t. I will miss my colleagues greatly and I wish them the best for the rest of the year and I know they will continue to do a great job with the learners,” Antonette said.
