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Every day, Cheryl drives from her home in
Kenilworth to the Observatory Junior school.
She walks past the front office and heads for
the crimson door above the courtyard. She
finds her name tag and starts sifting through
story books.
“I never knew the story of Peter Pan before,”
she says. “You see, I am learning too.”
She sets out a few games and waits. She is
listening for the familiar sounds of light, hurried
footsteps accompanied by laughing voices that
will, at any moment, start echoing down the hall.
“I also grew up underprivileged but I never had choices,” says Cheryl. “I was always
told to keep quiet. Only when I was older did I start to get my own books and read. I
know that the ability to read builds confidence and that is so important for these kids.”
Cheryl left school after Grade Ten because no one could pay her fees. Using her own
pocket money that she earned from working during the day, she was able to take
evening classes. She finished her matric when she was 21 years old.
Cheryl spots Dean, her learning partner, and guides him over to her table. He is quiet
and hesitant to speak up at first. After they play a word game, Cheryl asks the boy to
help her with the names of different shapes in a book.
“Will you help me learn these?” she asks Dean.
The boy looks up at her, shocked. “You are supposed to be the teacher,” he says.
“Ahh, you see sometimes I am the teacher and other times you are,” she says, winking
at him.
Dean’s solemn expression cracks and he smiles broadly.
After working as a secretary for 20 years, Cheryl ran a brewery. When she retired three
years ago, she felt quite stagnant with no job to keep her busy and no children of her
own. After hearing about Shine through a friend, Cheryl decided to go to an orientation.
“I was never interested in reading because no one drummed it into my head. No one
encouraged me to read. We had a library but we weren’t motivated to use it. It was
very sad. Now, there’s Shine. Shine keeps these kids interested.”
Cheryl--Shine Volunteer
By Cherry Gammelin

As the first literacy hour of the day winds down, Cheryl says goodbye to Dean. He
hands her a square piece of paper and she
begins to write down a note of praise.
“Must I draw a star here because you are one?”
she asks Dean. A smile spreads across the shy
little boy’s face.
He gives her a hug and she watches him file out
of the room with the other children.
“They love to come here, Cheryl says. They are
truly hungry to learn.”
Cheryl--Shine Volunteer
By Cherry Gammelin

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The Shine Centre - Cheryl

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