LIVINGSTONE Primary School said a sad farewell to its dedicated principal, Charleen Butt on Tuesday.
Charleen served as principal of the school from 2002, and said she is feeling torn at leaving the school. “I love what I do and am passionate about it, but I have also missed having a class of my own over the past few years. Our children are very precious and spontaneous and different in the way they think and do things, it’s been wonderful being at this school,” she said.
Charleen said throughout her life God has shown her a path, and even when she chose a different path she was always redirected to teaching.
“I wanted to be a social worker when I finished matric, but my parents couldn’t afford to send me to university. At the time the Department would pay for training in teaching, and then we had to work for the Department for a few years after qualifying and would send us anywhere they wanted. I didn’t really want to do anything else, but as I had taught Sunday school, my mom said I should give teaching a try,” she said.
In those days, when training at Edgewood, students were sent into the classroom every Wednesday from the get-go, and Charleen attended classes at Addington Primary School for six months.
“In my first lesson I was reading to the children and there was one boy who was impossible. He then got so involved and started acting out the story at the back of the class. This was my first intonation that something was different with him. In the 70s there wasn’t much focus on ADD/ADHD, and this boy hooked me! I loved teaching and had phenomenal lecturers. I finished, majoring in English and history,” she said.
Charleen taught for nearly three years at Eshowe Primary School. In her first year she met her husband, who she has been married to for nearly 44 years. She stopped teaching for 10 years when she had her three children.
“When my youngest child was at nursery school I saw an ad in the paper for a remedial teaching course at University of Natal. Robin Farman taught it and he was amazing. I did my remedial practical at Livingstone Primary and was invited back in 1985 to teach. I loved it!” she said.
Charleen was then asked to run the Pinetown Remedial Unit at Pinetown Senior Primary School, where she spent 11 years. She said she learnt a lot from John Leigh, the principal, and the staff.
“It was a wonderful unit. I was also part of the Remedial Teachers’ Association in the 80s and was chairman for 12 years,” she said.
Charleen said she had no ambition to be a principal as she loved being in the classroom, but she was invited to be the principal at Livingstone Primary in 2002.
“I want to thank everyone who has been involved in growing the school. There were 230 children when I started and it has now grown to 525 children today. I’ve loved working with the parents and the staff, school governing bodies and mothers who pray every week, who are amazing people who have all made the school what it is. We have a lovely atmosphere at the school, we have gardens and animals. I’m sad to leave as we have worked hard to develop and build the school. It’s been a delight and I feel so blessed,” she said.
Charleen will be looking forward to spending time with her husband and family in her retirement, but plans on going back to teaching next year.
“My husband has been very patient and I now need to give him more time. We will be travelling quite a bit in South Africa, and I look forward to seeing the Namaqualand daisies in November for the first time. I hope to return to remedial teaching next year as I love it. If you can help someone, why not! I also look forward to spending time with my five grandchildren, doing homework and helping out where I can. 2016 is now for my family,” she said.
