
Hilda Clarke
I come from a family consisting of a mother, a father, an older sister and an older brother. I am the youngest. We didn’t have much, but the love and support were always evident. We were raised with a mindset of a go-getter; you work for what you want.
I’ve always dreamed of becoming a teacher, especially working with the weaker learners. Straight after high school, I was granted a bursary from False Bay College to do my ECD Diploma at their Muizenberg campus where I was required to do 18 months theory and 18 months practical. This is how I got onto the Disa scene.
Permission was granted for me to complete my 18-month volunteer practical at Disa, but I received permanent employment at Disa Primary School within 3 – 4 months of me being there. I proudly became the main bread winner in my family.
Then, Covid happened, salary cuts happened, panic, worries, and sleepless nights kicked in. How was I going to support my family? I comforted myself with the following: “Things happen for a reason”, and “When God closes one door, he opens another”. I knew what was happening at that moment, would pass too.
I got the opportunity to do my BEd Degree in Foundation Phase, all paid for! Can you see what God did right there? Yes!
Saying that studying and working full time is tough, is an understatement! The only thing that kept me going was the support of my family wanting to see me do better, and the strict study routine I had for myself after work. Those long nights and early mornings…. tell me about it.
Fast forward four years, here I am, the first one in my family with a Diploma in ECD, a Degree in Foundation Phase teaching (graduating next year), and a loving family.
What I’m trying to say is that you will never understand God’s way of doing things and why things happen. All you must know is to TRUST in Him. Setbacks are part of life lessons, and it makes us wiser.
One last thing, don’t lose yourself in the process, be you! You have an army of loved ones rooting for you! You’ve got this!