POLOKWANE – For 10 years her duties have included cleaning the administrative offices and the classrooms of the Gr 1 to Gr 4 learners and making tea for the personnel, however, that is not all there is to the role she plays at the school.
“During my time at the school so far I have met several new people and I learn something from each and every one of them, even if they are only here for a short duration. I work behind the scenes but I have a stake in the lives of everyone I work with every day. Usually during the school holidays, I start to work a few days before the school opens to make sure everything is clean and in order, ready for the new semester,” she explains.
Maggie says as a tea lady, she has been the one person who many people confide in about their problems. “When you bring someone tea you can easily read their mood and then, more often than not, when I ask them if everything is alright they will confide in me. This makes me feel like a part of the family and everyone at the school are very important to me. I try to look after them as best I can.”
Maggie says as long as she is able to, she would never want to leave the school or find other employment because in her honest opinion, the school is the best school in the city.
“The school is my home away from home and everyone at school is just as special to me as my own family. For me, being a cleaner at the school is more than just a job description, it is an immense honour.
“My role is special because I become the friend to some which they have never had or the maternal figure which they miss because she is no longer with them.”
