Isabella Pienaar has made a massive leap toward her life goal in helping young children.
Pienaar is a matric learner at Dr WK du Plessis School and has dreamt of becoming a teacher since she was in Grade Nine.
She wishes to study teaching at Aros, a private college in Pretoria, but the enormous class fee of R60 000 is beyond what her parents can afford. Isabella is an excellent student and her academic record allows her to enter the school’s teaching programme.
With great foresight, Isabella’s teacher Catherine van Schalkwyk, advised her to reach out to Good Morning Angels for assistance.
The budding teacher reached out to Martin Bester at Jacaranda FM, with a heartfelt message in which she described her passion for teaching and her struggle with financing, and the response from the public was immediate.
We Buy Cars donated R50 000 toward Isabella’s studies, and the Good Morning Angels Fund donated another R10 000, securing her school fees.
Pienaar was overjoyed and said she can’t wait to begin her studies next year.
What made you realise you wanted to become a teacher?
It was always amazing for me to see students go from strength to strength at my school. Students here are able to unlock their full potential with extra effort from the teachers, and that’s how I want to approach teaching my students one day.
Another big factor is my brother Cobus, who suffers from autism. Seeing how he has improved over the years has inspired me to focus on special-needs students like him.
What made you choose Aros?
I like that Aros is an openly Christian school and focuses on teaching. They are also an Afrikaans school which I prefer. I will be studying part-time, and working to pay for my rent, food and other essentials.
How do you feel about the people who came together to pay your school fees?
I can’t even begin to explain how grateful I am. Money was really a big obstacle for us and they have really changed my life in ways I could never have imagined.
What have you learnt at Dr WK du Plessis School that you will implement in your own teaching career?
I have seen that change is possible and I want to be that change. When children are given individual attention they can really improve in many ways, and that’s how I will teach one day.
Is there a specific school you want to teach at?
I want to teach at Felicitas School in Brakpan. The school is for intellectually and physically disabled learners, and has a specialised autism centre. My focus will be on children with autism. Isabella sees big things happening in her future and wishes to change the lives of as many learners as possible.
