Coming to America
In order to escape the violence of South Africa, after completing the necessary paperwork, Mrs. Pretorius moved to Fowler, so she could teach at Fowler High School for the 2011-2012 school year.
Pretorius grew up in the small town of Musina which is in the northern part of South Africa. She went to college in South Africa at the Normal College of Education in Pretoria; there she earned her bachelor’s degree in science. In South Africa, she had a diploma in coaching track, hurdles, high jump, and netball. She was also a sponsor of the Electrical/Science fair, and she judged the exhibits.
“I wanted to be a vet, but my father said that’s not a job for a woman. So he pushed me to become a teacher,” said Pretorius. She loved animals, but she was also good with kids. It was her love for animals that persuaded her to choose the field of science as her main study.
Pretorius taught for 15 years in South Africa and explained that teaching in South Africa is not really different from teaching in the United States. Teaching in South Africa was more formal, and there was more discipline. In the United States the students are more spontaneous and way more talkative.
“Because they couldn’t get my papers done legally on time,” Pretorius commented on why she was late for the start of the school year. “They always wanted more papers.” She eventually got all of the paperwork turned in that was required, and she started teaching at Fowler in mid-October.
Pretorius said her favorite subject to teach is biology because she loves animals. She also says the hardest part of her job is creating the tests and making sure they are aligned to state standards.
Pretorius came to the United States in July, and her husband entered the country in December. “To be the leader; it’s usually the man who does the leader’s work. Being alone without family in Fowler,” said Pretorius about coming to the United States without her husband. Pretorius’s husband is currently a farmer here in Fowler.
Pretorius has two kids, Wimpie and Melandi. Wimpie is twenty years old, and he is in college in Oklahoma studying agriculture. Melandi is eleven and a fifth grade student at Fowler Grade School.
“The people, different manners, culture, speaking, and the food,” Pretorius said are the things that are the really different about living in the U.S. She also stated that getting used to the cold weather, the snow, and the wind was a challenge.