As the country commemorates Women’s Month, The Westville Weekly Gazette spoke to two female principals, Jane Edmunds, principal of Kanion School and Trish Oom of St Elizabeth’s Pre-Primary School.
Edmunds has been a principal for 28-years, having taught at the same school since 1991. “I am passionate about active, exciting learning and teaching and as a principal this is something that I encourage in teachers. Teaching and learning is about having fun, exploration and creativity. I am a qualified Remedial Teacher. I have a Masters in Arts (Education) and Religious Studies and I am also a results Life Coach,” she said. She added that she first became principal in 1993. “I have never stopped learning. I love encouraging people and finding their strengths and seeing people grow, and I see myself as the cheerleader of the staff and teacher team, valuing every one of them and leading with an open door policy,” said Edmunds.
She said she always encourages early communication from parents and prefers speaking face to face or on the phone with parents, rather than writing or emailing to them. Edmunds said women are generally far more intuitive than men and she believes that her intuition along with the years of experience, and focus on her Christianity empowers her as a leader to be of service to others. Every position comes with challenges and Edmunds said her biggest challenge has been the Covid-19 pandemic. “This has been the most challenging time during my position as principal. It has been overwhelming at times and scary and we have had to deal with a fair share of sadness as a school community due to loss that families have suffered during this pandemic. The responsibility to keep a school open for quality learning and teaching, and at the same time ensuring that learners and staff are following protocols for their safety, rests heavily on the shoulders of a principal and with just over 200 learners in our school ranging from ‘littlies’ of 18 months through to Grade 7 learners, it has been tough,” she said.
Edmunds said everyone at the school is happy with the environment making it a happier place to be for the learners and staff. “We are a happy community school situated in the beautiful surrounds of wooded Westville and overlooking the Palmiet Nature Reserve,” she said. She said as a mother of two successful, professional and independent adults and a wife she believes that having a leadership position is all about lifestyle balance. “It takes planning, thought and being organised. Having a wonderfully supportive husband and a happy home life along with balancing time for work, family time, exercise, spiritual focus and healthy living are the answers for being able to lead others. One’s own life needs to be in order to be able to lead and cheerlead,” she added.
Edmund said she does still feel that principalship is still dominated by males and that there is still a big wage difference between male and female principals. “Sadly in South Africa, there are fewer males in education and there is a need for really good male teachers. Male teachers and principals are also remunerated with greater financial packages than female teachers and principals which shouldn’t be the case. This does not affect my passion for my job. I am inspired by positive people who are willing to serve others, beautiful sunshine and nature, happy family times and spiritual truths that motivate me to strive to be the best I can be. I have come to realise that my inner feelings of joy and enthusiasm come from loving what I do every day in the school and for my family. I am grateful and know that over the years I have made a positive difference in the lives of many. I feel inspired to continue to make a positive difference in the lives of many more people both as an experienced principal and a results life coach,” she said.
Trish Oom of St Elizabeth’s Pre-Primary School said her love for children started when she was a primary school learner. “I have always known I wanted to be a teacher and helped at my local pre-primary school. I have always been passionate about education and the empowering of our next generation. I love to assist children to become the best that they can be and to reach their true potential. Young children mostly love to learn and explore, so every day is exciting and different in a pre-primary school,” she said. She said she started her career as a pre-primary school phase teacher and has continued for over 30 years with the past seven to eight years being a principal. “Pre-primary school principals are usually women, so it is not something new. We are starting to be acknowledged and recognised by those in the more senior phases of education like senior primary and high schools. It is great to be able to influence our future generation and to work closely with my parents, staff, children and therapists. Some of the challenges I have had included trying to get permission to re-open our school during the first lockdown. This involved many long days, late nights and lots of perseverance. It was worth it in the end when our application to open earlier was approved. Whatever happens, both positive and negative, are my responsibility and I have to fill the gap wherever and whenever it appears,” she added.
Oom said the other challenge they face as principals is that of ensuring that school fees are paid on time. “Our school is a private school with no funding from government. We rely 100% on our school fees to fully operate. I currently have 87 learners, but usually have 95 learners, but due to Covid-19 I had to cut the sizes of our classes and it all needs patience,” she said. As a mother to a 29-year-old and a wife for 31 years, Oom said she enjoys and loves her different roles. “It is all about being flexible and having a great, supportive network. I have an amazing husband, a son and school team who are always happy and willing to assist where they can,” she said.
Oom said she is the best that she can ever be because of her passion to keep her school as a happy place for all. “It is a privilege to be the chosen leader of St. Elizabeth’s Pre-Primary School. It is my passion to keep this beautiful school a happy place for my staff and children to thrive in and where much learning takes place in a positive, stimulating, happy, fun and safe environment. Being grateful for the many blessings in life also inspires me to be the best. I have a strong faith and it helps me to keep looking upwards and forwards, especially during tough times such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdowns. Learning new things and keeping updated always helps one to be relevant and the best in an ever changing world,” Oom concluded.
