Quite often we take our teachers for granted, we know they are there to impart knowledge and their presence is all but appreciated. As students, the happiest times in school almost always occurred when our teachers missed a class or were busy doing some form of administrative work.
We only truly realise how much our teachers are undervalued when we enter the world as learned adults and have an outside view of how much they sacrificed, how much they went above and beyond the call of their professions, and how they nurtured us not only intellectually but emotionally as well. Teachers are really the heroes of the world and the true creators of every other profession.
Without teachers, we would all be illiterate and ignorant. Our critical thinking skills would remain underdeveloped and creativity stifled. It is their nurturing that affords many of us the opportunity to become whatever we aim to. They inspire us to be our authentic selves.
Realising the impact their Visual Arts teacher made in their lives, some students of the Vreed en Hoop Secondary School decided to put pen to paper and express their deep appreciation for the nurturing and guidance.
Miss Halcyon Doris is more than just a teacher to her students. She is the embodiment of something far greater. She nurtures them, mothers, them and is the executor of tough love when the need arises. For that, her students greatly value her input and advice as they battle their way through secondary school and life in general.
Her shoulder is always available and her ears are always willing.
In a move that not only surprised Doris but also brought her to tears, the outgoing students wrote her small letters detailing how she impacted their lives. The change she helped them foster and guidance she provided.
Christian Graham wrote “Dear Miss Doris…I particularly enjoyed our discussions about the impact of schooling on young people and about using technology to forge closer relations with clients…”
“Dear Miss Halcyon Doris, when I first walked into the school I had no idea what I should expect from you…you taught me to be open and to take a stand. You taught me that there is no such thing as weakness…you showed me that my past does not define me,” Mokeba Best wrote.
Doris’s personality is larger than life and it transcends to the work she does. Persons around her describe her as bubbly, passionate, fierce and all so important, confident. Apart from being daddy’s little girl, she drew strength from her mother because of the level of passion and drive she possesses and is trying to inspire her students to channel their efforts towards realising their true potentials.
For her students, Ms Doris is the best teacher they could ask for since her classes are not only about being taught rather it involves the holistic experience of learning in an environment that is comfortable. She affords each of her students individualised attention so that they are prepared when it comes time for them to sit their examination.
