DESPITE being badly injured in an accident and losing the use of one of her legs for over a year in 2017, this dedicated teacher couldn’t wait to return to her beloved school where she had been principal for the past 29 years.
Irma Swart, principal of Protea Primary School, which caters for children with emotional and behavioural challenges, will be retiring at the end of this week.
Speaking with tears in her eyes, Swart said that retiring and “leaving her children behind,” is the hardest thing that she has ever had to do.
“I’ve been crying since February,” the 65-year-old said, laughing through the tears.
“I really wish that I didn’t have to go but my time has come and I have to embrace this new chapter just as I’ve embraced being at this school for so long.”
Even before being appointed as principal in 1993, Swart had been teaching at this school. She remembers being a young teacher in her early 20s, who only had approximately nine months’ experience filling in for other teachers, when the department contacted her at the end of 1981 and asked if she was interested in “a very difficult” position.
“I went to the interview in a pretty dress and there were four other older candidates there. I was immediately told to rather turn around and go since I was too young for the position but I pushed through,” Swart explained.
She added that the first thing she was asked in the interview is what she would do if a child spat in her face.
“I said that I would let the child sit, give him a tissue and later on we would walk outside and I would ask what happened that made him get so angry. Two days later I got the call that the job was mine. I remember standing in the rain in the phone booth and I was on my knees saying thank you that I got the job.
“It was one of the highlights of my life. I decided that day that I would never do something to a child that I would not have done to my own child,” said the mother of two.
She explained that teaching at this school had taught her that there are children who struggle and aren’t always in a good space.
“I grew up under good circumstances and things went well for me in life and working here has taught me about the sadness of life. I never knew that there were children who were taken from their homes. It opened my eyes to the need in the community and how women and children suffer.”
When asked about some of the challenges that came with the job, Swart didn’t speak about the behaviour of the children or anything about her working environment.
For her, the most difficult challenge was when she started teaching at the school and she drove out of the school gates every holiday just to see the children staying behind because they had nowhere to go.
“Oh, it broke my heart and it breaks my heart to go away because many of these children don’t have food or clothing but I also know that I will be leaving them in good hands.”
According to Swart, she would not have been able to ever find her feet or make it all these years without the incredible support system in the form of amazing colleagues, especially Trudie Roux, Shirley Hoffman and deputy principal, Riëtte du Plessis.
“They have carried me through for years and I am forever grateful to have them in my life,” Swart said, taking a moment to grab a tissue to wipe away her tears.
“I have always had a passion for teaching and children and something else that has motivated me to do my job to the best of my ability is the words of someone who once told me that every child you don’t save becomes a criminal. Those words have been my guide.”
Swart said that she plans on spending her retirement in the gym and swimming pool but also giving back to the school, church and community.
“On school days, I will still be dressed and ready by 08:00 and I will stay busy. If it wasn’t for this school, I wouldn’t have been where I am today. I owe them everything.”
