The School Corridor Tatler

Maurien Jacobs, the principal of Blouvlei LSEN school and Doreen Parker, an educator at Levana Primary School, will be retiring at the end of this term. Between the two educators, they have served  the Steenberg-Lavender Hill community for a whopping 98 years! Maurien Jacobs taught at Blouvlei LSEN for 16 years. For the past seven years, Maurien was the school principal of the school. Over the sixteen years Maurien travelled every school day from Wellington, a Cape Winelands town situated 85 kilometers from her school. She covered roughly 544,000 km to and from school over the sixteen years. That is about twelve times around the world! This sounds crazy, but this is what Maurien did without batting an eyelid. She would report for duty every single day at 7:15 and frown upon those who came late to school. Maurien Jacobs  Maurien Jacobs, School Head of Blouvlei LSEN (right) and me  I asked Maurien what motivated her to travel her so far. "Many people have a...

the staff of Blouvlei LSEN Joshua (right), Ryan (next to Joshua) and Joshua's mom.   Regular readers will know that I am a diehard fan of Blouvlei LSEN school in Retreat. Tonight the 2013 graduation had an eastern theme. All the honored guests - the learners and their parents looked stunning in their eastern-nuanced outfits.     Tonight was another spectacular event. All the speakers reminded the learners and their parents that they are extraordinary human beings. Gideon, the Head of Department, usually the composed, witty Programme director, was visibly moved when he paid tribute to the learners, his heart was full. One could hear his disappointment and feel his hurt for the boy whose mom refused to allow him to attend the graduation. Gideon also shared the story of another graduate who, after many dark, stormy periods in his life, transformed into a dependable leader on whom his peers and teachers looked up to.   Maureen, Cordelis and Arthur We listen...

Our special children have their own drum beat and it is our responsibility to decode it... There is one school where I have some of my most intense spiritual experiences. The school, Blouvlei LSEN school, always advertises my humanity, my frailty, without them even knowing. Today I am taken by Maureen to see the SNAP class where learners with disabilities of various kinds receive individual educare. I am introduced to two young learners. Autistic architects The first child is having a showdown with his facilitator/teacher and assistant. He is autistic and he knows how to dictate the terms. Today, says the trainer, is the start of their 'push back' strategy. Adam - not his real name - has to learn to cooperate with them. I meet Adam's mom too. She patiently listens to the new strategy and she is in agreement. Adam is moving about in the room and dismisses us.  The teacher assistant is so in tune with Adam's rhythms: she follows him quietly and just removes the obstacle...