Magda loves Grade 1 pupils
Her fellow Grade 1 teachers will miss Ms Van der Nest who will be retiring at the end of the year.
EVANDER – Ms Magda van der Nest from Laerskool Hoëveld said the first quarter of the Grade 1 year is the most interesting and challenging for a teacher.
“Some of the pupils have nicknames at home and when they arrive on their first day of school, they get confused when we call them by their birth names.
“Teachers often think a pupil is lost when nobody in the class responds to a name.
“After going from one classroom to another to look for the child, it often happens that the child is indeed in your classroom, but does not recognise his birth name,” said Ms Van der Nest.
She also said some of the pupils, especially those from townships, struggle with English and take time to adjust.
Another challenge they are faced with, is that children often miss their transport and it is the responsibility of teachers to see that every child has gone home until they get used to the transport.
Ms Van der Nest said besides the challenges they face every first term, she loves Grade 1 pupils because they are able to express their happiness by giving her lots of hugs.
Her fellow Grade 1 teachers will miss Ms Van der Nest who will be retiring at the end of the year.
“When we have events, she is the one who does all the arrangements,” said a teacher.
Ms Van der Nest’s teaching career began in 1978 as a high school teacher in Rustenburg where she specialised in economics.
After she got married, the couple moved to Devon where Ms Van der Nest taught at Endicott Primary School in 1980.
She moved to Eendracht Pre-primary School and when it was closed, went to Laerskool Hoëveld in 2005 where she teaches the English class.
Ms Van der Nest loves the school and the environment, especially having a good principal who believes in his staff.
She is currently studying flower arrangements and said: “I love flowers and have been doing flower arrangements for various events already.”
After her retirement, she will focus on doing flower arrangements for businesses and offices.
Ms Van der Nest also does décor and organises the catering for school events.
