POLOKWANE – At 63 years old, one of the longest-serving teachers at PEPPS, Carron Anne Gwilym, looks back on a teaching journey spanning decades.

She first arrived at PEPPS in 1994 to stand in for a teacher who was going on maternity leave, only to discover on the day she started that she was pregnant herself.

The teacher she had come to replace returned in November 1994 to stand in for her, and Gwilym went on to have her son. After two and a half years at home with her son, she returned to PEPPS full-time in July 1997 and has been part of the school family ever since.

Watching the school grow

Since those early days, Gwilym has watched the campus and school community grow in both size and grandeur. What started as a small school with a small group of professionals driven by high ideals and thoughts of “changing the world” has blossomed into something far greater.

She recalls a former learner telling her, “you did change the world”, when she shared that early dream – a moment that left her both surprised and humbled.

A proud legacy

Asked about her favourite memory or proudest professional moment, she said there are so many to choose from, but one stands out: the ideal of teaching the next generation. Many of the parents she once taught have chosen to bring their own children back to PEPPS, entrusting her and the school with their education all over again.

Advice to young teachers

With all this teaching experience under her belt, her advice to a young teacher entering the profession is to be themselves and be authentic so that they can relate to the learners they teach.

“If you are yourself, they can be too and even though there may be difficult encounters it is still worth it. Enjoy the ride and build yourself and the next generations. I still enjoy teaching, it really is the best profession in the world,” she said.

Gwilym would like to leave a legacy of being honest and straightforward. She doesn’t mince her words, but is also one of the warmest and most relatable people you can meet.

Hope for the next generation

Looking to the future, her hope for the next generation of PEPPS learners is that they continue to be a force across the continent and the world.

Life beyond teaching

In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing poetry and listening to music. She added that she enjoys her quiet moments and doesn’t own a television, showing just how much she values her “me-time”.

She said proudly that PEPPS alumni are spread across the globe, successful in business and the corporate world, happy and building families of their own.