A matriculant who survived cancer and then struggled to cope at school wants to use her experience to teach pupils when she becomes a qualified teacher.
Leigh Ambrose, 19, a learner at Joburg’s King David Victory Park, is one of a set of triplets, along with her siblings Bev and Mark.
Leigh did not initially enjoy a smooth schooling career because she was diagnosed with leukaemia lymphoma in 2005 at the age of seven.
She was in Grade 1 at the time. Her diagnosis not only shocked and destabilised her family, it also unsettled her education and interaction with other learners.
“When I was diagnosed, I spent seven months in and out of hospital and I had to stop school completely because I had to start chemotherapy treatment. When I resumed school I was pushed to Grade 2 but I was not coping. I was just failing. It was so bad that I could not even tell time,” said Leigh.
Her siblings, with whom she started school, were already one grade ahead of her.
This situation escalated when she got to upper grades as her own insecurities took their toll. The radiation treatment gave her memory loss which made it difficult to study. She stopped chemotherapy when she turned 10, because the cancer was found to be in remission. She was finally declared cancer-free in July 2016.
“I was bullied a lot because of how I looked. I had also gained some weight and I felt left out and could not socialise the way I wanted to because of my own insecurities.
“Boys in high school were very mean,” she said.
Her mother and one of her teachers in particular, Renos Spanoudes, helped her to cope with her studies and would sometimes use cue-cards to assist in her learning. She got involved in a variety of sports and also took up drama, which she did until Grade 12.
“Drama helped me a lot to gain back my confidence. It took away all the stress. I started to open up and I could even do public speaking. Mr Spanoudes knew my story. He was very supportive and proud of me,” said Leigh.
In preparing for Grade 12, she dropped some of her school activities but kept drama.
“I was chilled about going into Grade 12.
“I was not intimidated at all because I had four siblings who went through this grade. I just didn’t want the pressure to get to me and I didn’t want to push too hard,” she said.
Despite the health challenges that had plagued her young life, Leigh passed her matric with a university entrance, bringing her dream of becoming a foundation phase teacher closer.
Leigh has applied to Wits University and Varsity College.
She says the reasons for her chosen career were mainly because children respond very well to her and because she has passion and patience, which are key to being a teacher.
“I think I can be a positive influence because of what I had to go through. My mom and the rest of my family are supportive of my career path,” said Leigh.