Ann’s
eyes were vibrant as she told us how Uncle Sakkie had rushed from the car, come
straight to find her, put his hands on her shoulders, while struggling to find
the words to express his overflowing enthusiasm. Uncle Sakkie had just returned
from the Grade 7’s Mandela Day visit to Klipfontein Primary School and he was
so moved by the way the Grade 7s had behaved during the outing. I was intrigued
to find out what had touched Uncle Sakkie to such a degree.
This
incident happened, serendipitously, during the early birthing phase of the “Inclusion
Matters at PNPS”. Our children are exposed to many intentional incidences of
inclusion that we parents understand only in vague terms. Through “Inclusion
Matters at PNPS” we hope to give parents tasters of the inclusion meal our
children are having at school. Uncle Sakkie’s story is a good place to start as
it highlights multiple layers of inclusion in action.
Sakkie
Louw has worked as a cleaner at PNPS for 19 years. The children call him Uncle
Sakkie which speaks to the way he interacts with them as he goes about his
duties. I asked Uncle Sakkie about the visit to Klipfontein Primary. He told me
how he was amazed at this school’s maintenance and cleanliness in spite of it
being in an impoverished area, and he was blown away by the confidence of the
little grade Rs who live in challenging circumstances. But he did not seem
surprised at being included in the Mandela Day visit. Many other parts of our
society view cleaning staff as one dimensional and therefore to serve their job
description only, but Uncle Sakkie is used to being included at PNPS. Did you
know that staff events include all staff, not just teachers? And that the staff
room is literally for all staff, not just the teachers. Inclusion means that
Uncle Sakkie knows that he can find the principal, tell her what is on his
heart, and know that he will be heard.
