Lecturer Rina de Lange retires after 27 years
“We came to an agreement that should my results be poor, it will not be shouted from the roof tops,” she reminisced.
With 27 years of lecturing behind her, Ms Rina de Lange of Standerton, will now get used to students spotting her, waving and calling.
“Mam, mam…,” Rina said during an interview.
Or a much-needed wave to students who recognised her car.
Maybe sometimes there will be preferential treatment for the former office practice lecturer at Gert Sibande TVET College, to relieve the pressure of standing with crutches at a retail shop.
Ms De Lange decided before the actual retirement date, to go on pension in December last year.
The De Langes however, aren’t going anywhere and clock up 30 years in town.
Rina had to undergo a major foot operation in November 2018 and was back at work in January 2019, after a 20-year-odd injury resulted in having to use a walking frame and a moonboot.
“That terrible pain is something of the past,” she also said.
“I had said to my husband, Lourens, that I would be in the seventh heaven even with a 50 per cent improvement.”
Come 2020 and the lockdown where Rina had to move among classes.
The story begins with a young woman from Wolmaransstad, who studied for a BA at the former Pukke in North-West and completed a diploma in teaching.
She majored in ‘Afrikaans-Nederlands’ and History and joined the college initially in 1993 to teach Afrikaans in the evenings.
Some of her students followed her home in the evenings after class, to ensure her safety.
“I saw the headlights of those Eskom-men when driving.”
A permanent position followed in 1996 and she lectured in Afrikaans till it was phased out in 2007.
The challenge of lecturing in a business studies subject was met head-on and she enrolled for office practice.
“We came to an agreement that should my results be poor, it will not be shouted from the roof tops,” she reminisced.
No problem there, she passed with flying colours.
Rina’s children Christo and Dianri, grew up amid the college environment.
Both of them went to mother’s alma mater and obtained degrees in pharmaceutical/chemical science and consumer science respectively.
The offspring are teaching at high schools nowadays.
Rina admitted to teasing her students relentlessly.
“We worked hard and laughed a lot,” she added.
A highlight was the annual practical for office practice where a culture day had to be organised.
The college sponsored the different ingredients for the cultural dishes and every student could take a nibble on what was on offer at the stalls.
The groups got together and rehearsed for a concert as well.
At the end of the week everybody stood and sang together on the stage.
“It always moved me to tears.
“When looking at photos now, I begin to wonder what has happened to so-and-so?
“I am really going to miss them.”
Rina had to leave her NIC level 3-group in other capable hands for completion of their studies and the students tried to talk her out of it.
“Oh mam, you can not leave us now.”
The lockdown and the online teaching proved to be tremendously challenging since many students did not possess laptops or tablets.
“Data was a big problem as well and after realising it could carry on for a length of time, WhatsApp-groups became the norm.
“Students became overwhelmed.
“I never thought I would witness a thing such as this in my lifetime.”
The college did not change the syllabus at all, bar leaving out one test.
“Gert Sibande has a fantastic personnel corps and I fitted in like a glove.
“It was the most wonderful years to date.”
