By Melanie Weeks

For years, I had thrived at St. Joseph’s Primary School, a place where my uncles were teachers and where I felt cocooned in familiarity. Friends and favourite teachers surrounded me. I knew my way around the school and classes were in Afrikaans, the language I mostly spoke at home.

When I was nine, my world shifted. My father moved me to Dower Practising School, where my younger brother started school a year earlier. The convenience of both children in the same school was a practical matter for my working-class parents. At my new school, I found myself in an English-speaking classroom, surrounded by classmates whose lives seemed as polished and poised as their middle-class backgrounds. The change was jarring and left me feeling lost. I was reticent, nervous and uncertain. My confidence faltered and I struggled to find my footing.

But then, there was Mrs Joan Adams, my class teacher. She had a gift for seeing beyond the surface, recognising that I was not only a bewildered newcomer grappling to adjust, but a young girl in need of guidance. With her kindness and patience, she became my anchor in the stormy seas of change.

Just as I began to find my place, tragedy struck. My father passed away. The grief was suffocating, and school became an unbearable place.

However, through my grief, Mrs Adams was a beacon of comfort and quiet understanding. It was not long before fate wove our lives together even further; when Mrs Adams faced the loss of her own husband months later. I found myself offering her the comfort she had once so generously given to me. After the first half of the year, the fog of uncertainty began to lift as I secured a third place in academics. Soon after, I blossomed into the top student in my class and a few years later, head girl of the school.

That year in Mrs Adams’ classroom, I learned about compassion, responsibility and leadership—values that define me today.

Forty-five years later, I returned for a class reunion and visited Mrs Adams, now in her 80s. Over tea, we reminisced about those days, the connection as strong as ever.

In life, we often meet people who profoundly influence us, even if we don’t fully grasp their significance until much later. For me, Mrs Adams was such a person. Her unwavering support and profound compassion taught me that no matter how daunting the situation, kindness, perseverance and a dedication to serving others are the key to unlocking possibility. She wasn’t just an excellent teacher; she was my lifeline in a tumultuous time.

Those lessons taught by Mrs Adams have become part of who I am today, and I am grateful for the enduring legacy of a remarkable teacher.

About Melanie Weeks

Weeks is a seasoned leader in non-profit organisation management, serving as Chair of the Board of Directors for multiple organisations, including Citizen Leader Lab. She possesses strong skills in executive development, corporate social responsibility, training delivery, management and business development. Melanie holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a focus on Technology from Bond University, Australia, which has further enhanced her capabilities as a business development professional dedicated to making a positive impact in communities.