Lecturer thanks his Grade 1 teacher during visit to Cornflower Primary School
After 35 years, Dr Clive Brown, now a lecturer at CPUT, returns to Cornflower Primary School in Lentegeur to express heartfelt gratitude to his Grade 1 teacher, Ms Du Plessis.
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After 35 years, former learner Dr Clive Brown returned to Cornflower Primary School in Lentegeur to thank the Grade 1 teacher who helped shape his future.
Brown, now a lecturer at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), returned to the school recently to personally thank his former teacher, Luzille Du Plessis.
Brown grew up in Lentegeur opposite the Lentegeur Psychiatric Hospital.
He said the visit carried deep meaning for him after he reflected on his early school years while travelling to Mauritius a week earlier.
“I found myself wondering how she was doing,” he said.
He described growing up in Lentegeur as a formative experience shaped by a strong sense of community.
“It was characterised by a strong sense of togetherness, where families looked out for one another, and a spirit of ubuntu prevailed,” he said.
“In many ways, it was a joyful and nurturing environment.”
Brown said the area was relatively safe during his childhood, allowing for a stable and enriching upbringing.
Although teaching was always close to his heart, he initially wanted to study music at the University of Cape Town, inspired by his involvement in church as an organist and trumpeter in the New Apostolic faith.
After matriculating at Lentegeur High School, he instead chose to study at CPUT, a decision that eventually led him into education.
He grew up in a home where education was strongly valued, alongside five sisters and three brothers, with most of his siblings going on to obtain higher qualifications.
He said his choice of education as a profession was initially driven by a desire to teach music. However, he later found greater fulfilment in Life Skills teaching, especially languages, where he helped pupils articulate their lived experiences and express their aspirations and dreams.
He said Du Plessis played a foundational role in his early development, teaching him to read with confidence and instilling a lasting love for reading that shaped his academic path.
Although she could not immediately recall him as a learner, Du Plessis expressed pride when she heard his story, from a young learner in Lentegeur to an academic now shaping future teachers at an international level.