A UWC cleaner has swapped scrubbing floors for chalkboards and calculators, becoming a math and science teacher.
Belhar cleaner-turned-teacher Natasha Dietrich says you're never too old to learn.
The 47-year-old mother of two who will receive her Bachelor of Education degree from the University of the Western Cape on 5 May is proof that learning is a lifelong journey and that it’s never too late to start, UWC says in a statement.
Natasha has been teaching Grade 5 and 6 mathematics and social science at the Dr. Van der Ross Primary School since January.
It was her work as a cleaner at UWC that first sparked her desire to study further, the mom says.
Natasha started at UWC in 2011 and says: “As I worked in ResLife, where the students spent time studying, I found myself surrounded by an environment of learning.
“I also witnessed the students’ commitment and their struggles. I thought to myself, ‘If they can do it, so can I’.”
In 2015, on the final day of student registration, she decided to submit her online application.
“I was honestly a bit scared when I was accepted. I thought, now I have to face the reality that I will have to study and work.”
UWC paid her fees, and she attended classes during the day, before starting her eight-hour cleaning shift at 3pm.
She says her children, aged 18 and 30, and her husband are very proud of her.
“To be surrounded by children, and to have the opportunity to teach them, has been the best thing.”
The mom says she will be going back to varsity next year to do her honours degree “and I am not stopping until I have my doctorate”.