Zandri van Greunen

Curro Mossel Bay 

 

 

For one Curro Mossel Bay alumna, Zandri van Greunen, the lasting value of school lies in the teachers and lessons that shaped the way she thinks and approaches life after matric.

She began her school career at Curro Mossel Bay in 2018 and says her love for languages started early. Her memories centre on teachers who treated language as something perform and question.

‘The language classes were wonderful to me, and my love for languages would not have been as strong if it had not been for wonderful language teachers who crossed my path,’ Zandri says, translated from Afrikaans.

 

Language lessons that stayed with her

Afrikaans teacher Ilze Alberts made a particular impression. Zandri remembers her as a teacher who cultivated a passion for poetry and linguistics, while encouraging learners to think critically about language and prescribed texts.

Class readings also gave the subject a practical energy, since learners would often take a character each and read those lines aloud.

‘It is these types of activities that open the world of language to learners and stimulate creative thinking,’ she says.

English teacher Adrian Adams also left a clear mark. Zandri recalls arriving in high school from primary school and being asked to memorise English poems.

She admits there was laughter when learners had to recite the poems in front of their classmates, but she adds that those moments carried value beyond the lesson itself.

‘That unknowingly prepared us to convey our thoughts to others with confidence.’

Studying classic texts such as Lord of the Flies in English class, Zandri says, felt like an adventure. Adrian’s outlook on life or his sense of humour will stay with her.

 

Teachers beyond favourite subjects

Mathematics may not have been her strongest interest, but teacher Cathina Knoetze still shaped her school experience.

‘Juffrou Knoetze is the type of teacher who makes even the most unbearable mathematics problems bearable,’ she says. ‘She was always professional, helpful and friendly.’

Looking back, she describes high school as a formative period, with learners discovering more about themselves and the world at speed. That, she says, makes good role models and teachers essential, because teachers carry a major responsibility towards the learners they teach.

She also points to the difference one teacher can make when a learner feels discouraged or doubts their ability.

She thanked Rian Stroebel, who offered her a bursary at the time so that she could attend Curro Mossel Bay.

‘Meneer Stroebel is one of those teachers who believes in his learners and their potential,’ she says.

 

Learning that reached further

Zandri continued by saying that Curro Mossel Bay taught her to think critically and work hard, while also giving her opportunities that reached beyond formal lessons.

‘Curro Create gave me the chance to submit my poems for adjudication for the first time and to work with talented artists in the industry,’ she says.

Now, she still values meeting former classmates on campus and hearing about their studies. Her own school experience, she insists, left her grateful for teachers who approached each day with energy and passion, and who still inspire the way she approaches her own work.

‘I hope that every Curro learner will realise how privileged they are to enjoy quality education, and that it will inspire them to seize every opportunity.’