Kewpie Nursery School teacher known to many to retire
Jenny Keefer's last day was on February 28.
After teaching at Kewpie Nursery School since 2007, Jenny Keefer will be retiring at the end of February. She leaves behind a legacy of generations of babies who outgrew her lap.
Leaving a legacy behind
“I am excited about my new venture, but I am going to miss my work and my family at Kewpie Nursery School,” said Jenny.
Her last day was on February 28.
She handled the baby room, and she says she loved every second of it.
Jenny’s duties included looking after the babies and stimulating them as well as making sure that the baby room was a neat and safe environment.
She was also in charge of other staff members.
The best part of her job was to take care of babies.
“Being a preschool teacher is most definitely an exciting, exhausting and rewarding profession.
“You know I get to see all the first milestones of each baby and I get to take care of them while their parents are working,” she said.
A challenge in her industry is when a baby is sick.
“It’s scary and such a big responsibility as you don’t always know what’s wrong because babies can’t tell you. I see this as a challenge because each child is different,” Jenny added.
Cynthia Sibisi, one of Jenny’s colleagues, said she is going to miss everything about Jenny.
“Jenny is delighted in children. She taught us a lot and she was a very patient teacher,” Cynthia said.
Another colleague, Caroline Baloyi, said that ‘aunt Jenny’ taught her everything she knows.
“Parents always asked for her and not just to inform her of something, but to ask her advice. I am grateful for all she did and I wish her the best,” said Caroline.
On a personal note
Jenny was born and bred in Rhodesia, which is now known as Zimbabwe.
She also finished school there and started working at the make-up counter of OK Bazaars.
Before she became a nursery school teacher, she worked as a data capturer at some of the big corporate companies.
“Due to some challenges like how quickly technology took over, I had to look out for something else and children have always been my passion. When the opportunity came to my doorstep where I could be a teacher and work with children, I took it,” she said.
Jenny has three children and four grandchildren.
Future plans
As for the new phase in her life there are no specific plans yet.
“I think I am going to take it day by day and make the best out of it. I am going to try and stay healthy and just enjoy life.”
Her biggest inspiration in life is her family and she also looks forward to spending more time with her children and grandchildren.
Thank you
“I want to thank my family at Kewpie for all their love, care and support over the years. Thank you for always being compassionate and so cooperative. Also, thank you to the parents for trusting me with their little ones. I wish you all the best,” Jenny said.
Her advice to young people who would also like to become nursery school teachers is to have lots of patience, love, caring and compassion.
“Make sure that this is what you want to do and be passionate about it,” she added.
