Stalwart teacher leaves Grassdale High

Passion and vision to make a difference drove a banker into the field of education and when he stepped onto the grounds of Grassdale High School, in Lotus River, as the deputy principal, he added value to the school and changed the lives of pupils for 12 years until his retirement on Friday December 13.

Peter Hendricks, will be 65 years old in March. He worked in the banking industry for 32 years and when he decided to become a teacher he never sat still and but implemented fundamental education systems that benefited many pupils.

Born in Bo-Kaap Mr Hendricks said his family moved to Grassy Park in 1971.

“I attended Grassy Park High School.”

Mr Hendricks did his BCom part-time from 1990 to 1997.

“In 1998 I was appointed Branch Manager of one of the big four Commercial Banks, at the Grassy Park branch. After that I worked myself up through the ranks and I was appointed at a few other branches, including Mitchell’s Plain, Constantia and Rondebosch before moving to private banking to become a relationship and branch manager in Somerset West.”

Relationship banking is when the banker has to bring the bank to the client. “They pay for all services and we have to go to them.”

In 2011 Mr Hendricks resigned to pursue a career in teaching.

“I left a high earning job to follow my passion.”

In 2012 Mr Hendricks was a full time student doing his PGCE (post graduate certificate in education) at UWC for a year and majoring in Business Studies and Life Orientation.’.

Mr Hendricks did his practical teaching, in the same year (2012), he was appointed as a contract worker and then became a permanent teacher at Grassdale.

“I started out as a class teacher in 2012 and became the Grade Head in 2014.”

Mr Hendricks spearheaded the Connect Programme making sure the transition from primary to high school easier.

“We have interviews and take the primary school learner through a programme to prepare them for high school including workshops, baseline tests and orientation. We also made sure that we connect with the parent, the learner and the school.”

Mr Hendricks believes that building character plays a big role in education.

“We have a value driven institution from Grade 8 and we embrace integrity, tolerance and honesty, which sets the basis to build on to the higher grades.”

Mr Hendricks also held the portfolio as Phase Head and was in charge of discipline.

“We believe in restorative justice. If a child is involved in substance abuse we network with a non-profit organisation that provides them counselling.”

Mr Hendricks was the administrator of the Grassdale High Facebook page and six years ago principal Dawood Tregonning approached him to start up tourism as a subject.

“We started out with 80 learners from Grade 10 to Grade 12 and we currently have 313 tourism learners. Over the three years we have had a 100% pass rate in tourism.”

In 2014 two pupils Richardo De Vos and Eluthia Snyders entered the national moot court competition.

“They won in the category for the best essay (argument for and against in a fictitious case) in the country. They were awarded R10 000 each towards their studies,” said Mr Hendricks.

Mr De Vos sent Mr Hendricks a goodbye message: “I am a living testament of your influence and indeed your product. From the dusty streets of Khayelitsha to the podium of the world. You have made me realise that it doesn't matter where you come from, what matters is where you are going. Thank you kind sir for your passion in shaping the minds of young people in our community for the better.”

Mr Hendricks said the pupils’ achievements bring great satisfaction to him and he sees himself as a teacher who is a “candle in a dark room who will enlighten the learners with knowledge that will be with them forever”.

“We want to see that youngsters can go out in the world and that they will be equipped with an education that they can be proud of,” he said.

Mr Hendricks will be spending more time with his wife Frederica, and two daughters Muhshina and Lizette.

“I have five grandchildren and my eldest grandchild Keziah teaches at Hazendal Primary School.”