FROM being a former learner to a formidable leader, spending 27 years of his career in the teaching fraternity at Fairvale Secondary School, Dale Charles Seidle, leaves behind a legacy and lots of treasured memories as he retires from his role as principal.
Seidle served as a teacher at the school from 1981 to 1998 and thereafter moved to Umbilo Secondary school, where he took on the role of deputy principal until he was appointed to steer the ship at Fairvale, taking on his position as principal since 2013.
WATCH: Staff and learners give principal a special send-off
“I would like to thank the Wentworth community for giving me the support and encouragement, especially during my tenure as principal. I took my appointment as principal as a sign of acknowledgement by the community, which I have had the honor and satisfaction to serve for decades. I was a learner at Fairvale and matriculated in 1977, so it was definitely an honor to lead my alma mater as a principal,” said Seidle.
When he returned to Fairvale as principal, the technical workshops were in a sorry state and Seidle, together with the Leon Lambert, set about restoring and equipping the workshops.
The school was soon put on the map after being selected to host the technical training for the CAPS syllabus for all KZN technical teachers in motor mechanics, and fitting and machining in 2015.
While being responsible for hundreds of children from a community riddled with social ills, Seidle noted that restoring peace among learners was one of the achievements he was proud of.
“It brought me great pride to claim back the dignity and honor of the school’s reputation, that had been sullied by the learner’s anti-social behavior.
“When I arrived in 2013, the school was riddled with gangsterism and drug abuse. We began to separate the wheat from the chaff and endeavored to inculcate a culture of learning and teaching, but most importantly respect for one another. “We stressed that violence did not solve any problems and taught the children to learn to agree to disagree with one another. Unemployment was and still is rife in our community and this affected the payment of school fees which places the school under financial constraints.
“The commitment of some of the parents towards their children’s education is non-existent. This creates problems at school because these learners display a lack of work ethic and behavioral problems as there is no support or interest in their progress or lack of it from home,” added Seidle.
Despite the various challenges, the school has consistently won the Bridge Building Competition hosted by the South African Institute of Civil Engineering six times in nine years, and many learners have achieved provincial and national colours in sporting events.
“Fairvale has been an integral and constant part of my life for most of my life, so even if I will not be there physically, it will always be in my heart and thoughts. I will also be available to the school’s management team if they possibly need advice or assistance. Once a Fairvalian, always a Fairvailian. I leave with no regrets but rather with fond memories, good friends, relationships and pride,” Seidle said.
With plans to try his hand at lawn bowls and looking forward to well-earned rest, the father of two says that for once in his life, he was pleased to announce that he had no plans.
“I would have never reached this level of success without the solid, unselfish support of my wife, Joy, who is deputy principal at Sherwood Primary School and would like to acknowledge her. My entire adult life has been devoted to education which is my passion and one of the pursuits that can uplift our community from poverty and unemployment.
“One thing on my bucket list which I am excited to pursue is to travel to all the small ‘dorpies’ in South Africa at leisure, taking in the beauty, splendor and the richness of our cultural diversity. I do however enjoy my own company and therefore I am looking forward to a well-earned rest,” Seidle said.
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