In the next couple of days Silversands Primary will say goodbye to two of their long-time educators.
Peter van Rooyen and Sharitha Beeharlall were both teachers for 35 years, but both have different plans for when they leave.
Van Rooyen, who was at Silversands for 12 years, says he is going to enter another field.
“I am moving to another job that will mainly consist of training in the field of business, real estate development and gardening. My business is a dream that will focus on job creation and the alleviation of poverty,” says Van Rooyen.
Reflecting on his years in education van Rooyen says as a developing education system we are not reaching all our children to prepare them for the future.
“There are a lot of children we can reach by teaching them skills that can put food on the table. Other skills they can be taught are basic things that can give them dignity and can also help to stop crime.
“We are teaching subjects that our children will never use or do not care about and that is where my business will come in, to use technology to teach people about dignity,” says Van Rooyen.
He says he will miss the learners, because some of them have made a lasting impact on him.
Beeharlall, who was at Silversands for just over 20 years, says she wants to travel, go to Durban to visit her family and to Dubai to visit her son.
She will also just relax and spend time with her dog.
“Teaching has given me the opportunity to be of service to children and education. It has allowed me to motivate and encourage learners to become better versions of themselves and our future leaders. I will miss time schedules, lesson preparation, tons of marking (as l taught English), administration work, noise in the classroom and during breaks. I will miss my colleagues and learners that were part of my journey thus far,” says Beeharlall.
Her advice to new teachers is to work hard and show respect to gain respect.
Marshal Cupido, principal at Silversands, says they will miss the teachers. “It is sad that they are leaving, but both of them leave a legacy that we hope we can keep up in the future. We wish them all the success in whatever they do after this and if they just want to rest, I hope the enjoy the rest,” says Cupido.
