3 years ago this little girl
attended her Grade 1 prizegiving…
And both of them had this special lady to guide them through the year...
Prizegiving is always a special day, as
it is I get all choked up when the kids sing our school song, but
this year was another one of ‘those days’ that marks a first without
Ella. It was Foundation Phase prizegiving so she wouldn’t have been there but
she would have been so proud of her little sister; and probably have made a plan with a teacher to be able to attend.
I always love watching as the kids
are called up on stage to receive their certificates, bursting with pride to
have their parents there to watch them being acknowledged for the skills they
have learnt and the qualities they have displayed throughout the year – whatever
they are. They stand up on stage, scanning the audience for their parents and on seeing them wave excitedly, blow kisses and smile ear-to-ear smiles.
I love how, for the Foundation Phase kids, the teachers are so
creative, awarding their children certificates for having a good general
knowledge or being consistently helpful in class - qualities so important for our children to be learning at this young age.
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| Leanne sent this to all the parents in her class on the morning of prizegiving |
Once their certificates are handed out the kids rush back to their teacher for hugs and kisses. These amazing people who replace us during the
day as protector, confidant, joker, hugger and sore-fixer are just as precious to
our children as we are - in some cases, more so.
I watch with delight every morning as the kids greet their teacher – each one of them bursting with so much news since the last time
they met – usually only yesterday! They want to share everything with teacher –
and I imagine they are often privy to way more information than we, as
parents, would share ourselves – a sure case of TMI!
If, out of all her years, now and
always, Jem needed a strong, caring, sensitive, grounded teacher to support,
encourage and lead her, it was this year. And someone sure was looking after
her when she was placed into Leanne de Souza’s class at the beginning of 2016.
Leanne was also Ella’s Grade 1 teacher – she knew our family, she had been
close to Ella, the connection was already there; she was exactly who Jemma
needed.
Leanne felt our loss of Ella so
intensely, and in those first few days once Jem was able to go back to school,
I’m not sure how she found the strength to be there so solidly for Jem, to love
her and protect her when we couldn’t be there. That was one of the biggest
challenges for me – to take Jemma back to school, walk her to her classroom,
hug and kiss her goodbye – and then walk away from my child, when I could
barely handle the thought of being away from her at all. When I just wanted to wrap
her up in so much cotton wool and never let her go. And I don’t think I could
have if I didn’t already trust Leanne as much as I did.
Of course initially, Jem didn’t
need sums or reading or Afrikaans or Zulu, she just needed some kind of
something that was normal. She was only 2 weeks into Grade 1 – still getting
used to new friends and the change in structure when she lost her sister and
best friend. Her world turned upside down. The people who love her the most
could barely function. Nothing was normal, even being at school was hard with
all the kids asking countless questions, but Leanne was her rock. She provided
a sense of normality through routine and she wrapped Jem up, keeping her close when
she needed it.
Jemma has done so well this year and has arrived at the end of
the school year a confident, sociable, fun-loving, independent little girl
who can't wait for the holidays so that she can sleep late!
I am eternally grateful to Leanne for loving both of my girls as much as she does – and for the support she has given me each
morning when I drop Jem at school. She’s seen me arrive dishevelled and barely
awake, often in tears, and has hugged me tightly on those days. She has watched
as the year has passed and we have worked through our pain and the best thing
is that she has become a friend. Her daughter, also in Grade 1, and Jemma are building a friendship that I hope, along with ours, will continue to
grow. Jemmie would gladly have Leanne as her as a teacher
all the way through to Matric but I know she’s going to be in very good hands
next year and that she will be excited when she hears who her Grade 2 teacher
is – another special lady who was so fond of Ella and whose own daughter has
battled with the loss of mine.
Ella was so excited for Jem when
we heard that Leanne would be her teacher. Years after leaving Grade 1, Ella
would still visit Leanne in her classroom, as so many of the children do and I
have no doubt that Jemma is going to be the same – she’ll be running between the Grade 1 and 2 blocks to visit Leanne as often as she can!
Jennifer Boesch is another such
teacher – she taught Ella in Grade 2 and Jemma in Grade R and I know that my girls are special to her too. Ella used to sneak
extra hugs from Jen whenever she could and I know she looks out for Jem as well.
I used to think that I didn’t
want my girls to have the same teachers – that Jem needed to be able to forge
her own path, not travelling in her sister’s footsteps but actually I am so blessed, and secure in the
knowledge, that there are other incredible teachers in Jemma’s future;
Kumaree Padayichie, head of Foundation Phase who somehow seems to know every child's name.
Tina Doukas, who lovingly encourages Jem in the most creative ways to deal with her loss and the feelings around it.
Shirley
Bornman who was Ella’s Grade 3 teacher – if I’ve ever seen two people grow in leaps
and bounds in a year, it was Shirley and Ella last year.
Tracy Kruger and
Lisa-Marie Henning are Grade 4 teachers who we didn’t get much time with, but they’ve stayed close and cried tears with us and remembered Ella in such special ways.
They may not all end up teaching Jem but I know they’ll save a special heart place for her – and what more could I want for our little girl than for so many other strong and nurturing women to love and guide her through these precious years.
Friday was Intermediate Phase prizegiving. It changes in this phase and only the kids receiving awards are invited to attend. Ella was strong academically, dedicated, thorough, determined to succeed and I have no doubt she would have been there - that we as proud parents would have been there to watch our daughter beam and wear her new badge with pride. For some reason that was not to be, but I know that Ella was beside her friends who were there, delighting in their joy and sharing their smiles.
xoxo
