Belinda always had her nose in a book …
Belinda Damhuis grew up in the Avenues in Edenvale. As a child she loved playing “school” with a blackboard and chalk – and has been doing so ever since.
From a young age she knew she had to work hard and always did her homework; she got upset if she didn’t get good marks.
She is a keen student and never missed a single day of primary school. She attended Eastleigh Primary School and Edenglen High School, becoming Head Girl of both.
Though her marks were good enough to become a doctor, her family couldn’t afford it at the time. Through a school career guidance talk, she discovered that she could get a bursary to become a teacher. [That’s just too bad Medical Profession – we’ve got her now]
She started her teaching career in Barnato Park, Hillbrow. When she heard that there was an opening at Holy Rosary she applied, not thinking she’d get it.
At the interview, she remembers telling a board member, “I want to get this job because I am the right person for the job.” [How true that would become]
Work hard
After accepting the Holy Rosary teaching position, she set her mind to work hard at it. In addition to being a mom of two, she rose to the position of Deputy Head, while also being Head of Sport and Culture, and teaching Consumer Studies and Afrikaans.
For 18 years she was also an examiner for the IEB. This was a good experience as she shared her resources with teachers from other schools and got feedback about how other schools taught. Initially reticent, this was a step of bravery for her and proved worthwhile, as she learnt a lot from other teachers.
Consumer Science teachers need to be well prepared and very organised; the French culinary tradition calls this mise en place. In Belinda’s kitchen, every ingredient is labelled and organised alphabetically – skills which make for a well organised high school.
People first
Belinda has been Principal of Holy Rosary High School since 2016. She likes to say: “We teach people first – the syllabus is second.” She encourages teachers to focus on the people in their classrooms – rather than rushing though the syllabus. She asks the teachers to carefully observe how the girls are learning – do they understand, or is something troubling them? Something that sounds small to one person, may be a massive issue for someone else.
She has a genuine soft spot for children who are going through a hard time or don’t have a strong support structure. She tells of a child who was living in a small room on someone’s property and who was then enrolled into Holy Rosary. The student worked incredibly hard and was able to achieve an IEB matric pass.
Belinda is known to be a good listener. When issues arise, she is patient and respectful, and mindful of the effect of the issue on each different person involved. She handles things privately and with a quiet diplomacy.
We asked Belinda 6 questions:
1. Holy Rosary has been around since 1940. What’s stayed the same, and what’s changed?
The Catholic ethos of the school has stayed the same since the early days when the nuns ran the whole school. This foundation of living with good values has been cherished through the generations by parents, students and teachers.
Students still attend Mass in our chapel. We are proudly Catholic and offer a values- and faith-based education. You don’t need to be Catholic to attend our school.
While the uniforms have changed, our girls still learn good morals. This moral grounding and values-based education means we are still able to manage discipline with restorative practices rather than using punitive actions such as merits and demerits, which many other schools have had to introduce.
2. What do you think has changed in education since then?
Children have access to so much info – and we need to teach them how to use technology wisely, and everyday skills such as phone etiquette.
These days a Teacher is not expected to know everything, and children no longer need to memorise everything. Rather, a Teacher’s role is to help children learn how to find the answers to an infinite number of questions… and then assess the validity of the information.
AI needs to be used judiciously. Excessive use of AI leads to a lack of imagination and creativity, as well as a lack of authenticity. AI can easily undermine learning because with less input effort in the learning process, there is less engagement and understanding.
3. What do you think makes a good high school teacher?
Above all, a good teacher is passionate about their subject and about sharing it with children. Whether introvert or extrovert, a teacher needs to have that oomph, to make lessons exciting. Being a good actor helps to add extra pizzazz to high school lessons, such as languages, history and sciences.
Teachers need to really see the people in the classroom as individuals, noticing when a student doesn’t look so right… and check in with them to find out how they’re doing.
An ability to adapt the teaching style to each class is important. Each class has different dynamics. Discipline and rules should also be adapted, with some rules negotiated with each class, so that the children learn to self-govern.
High school teachers need to have good knowledge of the subject. They need to continually learn and update teaching methods and notes, to keep pace with change in their field.
Most of our high school teachers have been with us for a long time, we do not have a high turnover rate. Our teachers are highly skilled, and we give them the space to be autonomous. In turn, they feel respected and trusted to do their best.
4. What do you love about the Holy Rosary community?
The teachers at Holy Rosary are fortunate in that our girls are extremely well behaved, extremely hard working, and extremely ambitious – this is not just something I say, it is something I experience all the time.
We’re so proud of our awesome girls – when prospective parents interact with our girls at Open Day or during a school day tour, they often comment that our girls are so confident and helpful. So much so, that this has become synonymous with being a Holy Rosary girl.
5. What advice do you give parents when deciding on Holy Rosary?
‘When you visit our school, you will know if it’s the right environment for your family…
There’s a special feeling you get when you walk around this school – a feeling that you don’t find in many places. You can’t imagine it or describe it. You need to feel it for yourself by walking around the school.