Ex-cleaner can’t wait to go back to school – as teacher
New classroom role for graduate
A woman who was a cleaner for more than seven years will be leaving the kitchen for the classroom in 2019 after completing a teaching course.
An ecstatic Nellie Gerwel, 44, of Uitenhage, said she was counting down the days until she steps into a classroom at the Solid Foundation Academy in January – this time not to clean but to teach her very own grade R class.
Gerwel graduated with an NQF (national qualification framework) Level 4 qualification from Edu-Build, an early childhood development and training centre, earlier in 2018.
The mother of two, who says “teaching children is my gift”, was given the opportunity to better her life by her employer, Jerome Solomon, principal and founder of the academy on Stow Road in Uitenhage.
Gerwel had worked at Solomon’s house for four years as a domestic worker before he transferred her to the school, where she was a cleaner and supervisor for three years.
Solomon later offered her an opportunity to enrol for the one-year teaching course at Edu-Build.
“I could see she is really passionate about what she does and that she has a lot of potential,” Solomon said.
“I asked her to come and clean at the school so she [could] manage the cleaners there.
“And when we started EduBuild my wife and I asked her whether she’d be interested in being a teacher one day.
“She initially said, ‘oh my word sir, I don’t think I would be able to do that and plus I don’t have the money’.
“But we encouraged her a bit and she eventually said she’s going to do it. She started in June last year [and] she graduated in June this year,” he said.
Gerwel said she was grateful to the Solomons who had paid for her tuition.
“Edu-Build’s motto is ‘reach, teach and build a child’ and I feel I can relate to that because I love working with children,” Gerwel said.
“Teaching children is my gift and I say so because children feel so comfortable with me – they know I care about them and that I’m interested in helping them.”
When she was first approached to further her studies she was nervous, Gerwel said.
“[But] I decided to do it and I graduated this year.
“It was difficult for me at first . . . but as time went on it became easier.
“What I found most interesting [while doing the course] is how children develop from when they’re small and also how children learn when they’re still small. They taught us how [and what] to teach them at that young age.”
Her dream is to one day open her own creche.
“There are a lot of children in our community who do not go to creche and school.
“It would be wonderful if I could have a place where they can be taught foundation phase education,” she said.
“It really breaks my heart when I see that some parents just want to drink instead of caring for their children.”
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
FREE TO READ | Just register if you’re new, or sign in.
Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@heraldlive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.