The teaching profession is often overlooked in the world with many teachers overworked and underpaid. It is, however, the passion and ability to spark positive change at a primary level that gets many teachers out of bed and in the classroom every day.
Enter Gayl Kennedy, newly appointed principal at Maragon Primary School, who has not lost the spark and enthusiasm for childhood education – 30 years into the industry.
“I was part of a generation when we did not have as many career options as today, but if I had to do it all over again I would choose education. I started first on a psychology route and did some work in Soweto, that is where I developed the passion for young children,” said Kennedy.
Her passion for working with young minds pushed her toward the primary education route and she confessed that working with teenagers offered complexities far beyond her reach. She said, “The question is ‘Can I really make a difference?’ and with young children, their minds are really like sponges.”
The new principal boasts years of experience in different sectors of education, including the government schooling system. Fast forward a couple of years and Kennedy was off to the Eastern Cape, working with the outreach programmes. In 2003 she was back in the City of Gold and was offered a position at a private school, needless to say, she never looked back.
“I was actually very hesitant when the position opened here because I was acting principal at a convent school and had told myself that I would never do that again. I think this new appointment will be a new challenge though – one that I will enjoy. This is a far bigger school than I have ever been involved in,” said Kennedy.
A new position comes with new changes and the same can be said about Kennedy’s new post. She is enthusiastic about exploring and unleashing the creativity in the pupils and turning Maragon into a thinking school. She added “I am a big believer in the power of the brain. I would like to take us to a level of meta-cognition and thinking about thinking. I have seen the successes around that and it really encourages children to apply that thought to their learning.”
Teaching and classroom activities aside, Kennedy enjoys being in her garden and says just watering the plants is therapeutic to her. An avid traveller, she takes regular trips around the country with her family. “I also recently learned how to crochet. It has been a challenge but there really is power in working with your hands. A friend of mine actually challenged us to start crocheting and making blankets as part of the 67 minutes for Nelson Mandela. I just find that it is very calming,” Kennedy concluded.
