Delivered by Mrs Alison Bodenstein

Pam, during your time at Herschel, albeit only a year, you have certainly made your mark.

In that rather dark, grey classroom, where you are often found beavering away late into the afternoon, you have wormed your way into the hearts of your students largely through your warm, human connection and oh-so-sound knowledge of what you are teaching. What better way of remembering your time at Herschel than through the words of your students:

In the words of Kaitlyn Knight:

“Mrs Collie’s friendly and comforting presence will be greatly missed, and I am extremely thankful for the year that I spent with such a remarkable teacher. Thank you for ensuring each of us felt seen during your lessons. Your passion and joy when teaching was evident and made our class a fun-filled and supportive environment.”

And Grace Mulder:

“Ms Collie is the most caring teacher who always knows how to engage the class and make our lessons fun and entertaining. I’m so sad to see her go but I’ll never forget the impact she had on my English career.”

From Isabella Weir-Smith:

“Ms Collie has made my English class time enjoyable and a safe environment to be in. She is always smiling and happy to listen to any of her students’ problems. She has had a massive impact on the Herschel community. I wish her all the best on her exciting new journey. We will miss you very much, Ms Collie.”

As a teacher at Herschel, you have certainly done your bit, being a tennis manager, even taking a tour to KZN and you have had to take on the unenviable task of helping to collate the magazine. Perhaps one of the worst jobs to be given – facing grumpy teachers and always having to be patient.

Pam, we will miss you hugely as a colleague as well as a friend. We have appreciated your incisive mind, and I, personally, have always appreciated that when I have asked you an English-related question, you would immediately grasp what it is that I was asking and would always come up with a thoughtful, helpful answer.

Those of us who have got to know you more personally, have admired your grit and tenacity, coupled with your very obvious empathy and humanity which you wear very close to the surface, as you carry a load, half of which most of us would never manage. And so we say farewell with heavy hearts but wish you well as you head up Wickham’s English department, which you will manage without blinking! We also hope for you that next year will bring you wonderful times with Lexi, Fin and James, whether over, video calls or visits.