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COLLEGIATE High School for Girls principal Pam Cameron- Ellis says not even retirement will stop her from teaching.

As her 40 years at the well-known institution draws to a close this year, Cameron-Ellis said she hoped to continue teaching in her spare time, something she has not been able to do in her role as principal.

Cameron-Ellis has become synonymous with the 134-year-old school and she is confident the school’s reputation and good name will remain long after she is gone. Her replacement as principal has not yet been named by the Education Department.

“Teaching is not just a job. I do not see it as a job. Teaching is a calling and it is my passion. I have not been able to teach because I have been in the office, but I would like to do some teaching again when I retire,” she said.

Despite a reputation as a strict disciplinarian, Cameron-Ellis is also welcoming, friendly and approachable. The veteran principal prides herself on encouraging pupils to take part in charitable work. “Showing the girls the importance of charity work was one of my visions when I first came to the school. The girls are involved in so much now – from the carols to the bazaar. Every class has a cake sale and we also have tins for the school feeding scheme. Our interact club is doing a lot of work. The children are encouraged to help others and they take that with them when they leave the school.”

Born in Cape Town, Cameron-Ellis first decided she would be a teacher at the age of five. When she was 12, she decided she would be a school principal one day.

She initially moved to Port Elizabeth in 1967, after completing her studies at the University of Cape Town, to take up her first teaching post as a mathematics teacher at Collegiate.

Cameron-Ellis said she loved the school from the moment she started. However, she returned to Cape Town for three years to take up the post of deputy principal at Wynberg. But she missed Collegiate terribly and soon returned to Port Elizabeth.

She believes integrity has contributed to her success.

“I stand up for integrity and I always try to do what is best. I am a perfectionist in some ways, but I sometimes fall short of this.”

She said her major challenges as principal in recent years was keeping up with all her paperwork as the amount of administration had increased dramatically.

It had also at times proved difficult to find staff who were committed to maintaining the high academic standard at the school.

“I cannot take all the credit for what the school is today. I lead a good team and everyone here is hardworking and committed.”

Cameron-Ellis said many past Collegiate pupils had gone on to become successful and do great things and she felt a great sense of pride when this happened.

“I am proud of all the girls. There are those who might have not made a major impression while at school but have then turned out to become something really special.”

Cameron-Ellis, who lives in Broadwood, said she did not have any major plans on how she would spend her retirement as yet.

“They say retired people are more busy than people who work so we will just have to see. I plan to do a lot of reading and I recently got DSTV so I plan to see some good movies.”

She said retiring would be bittersweet for her but Collegiate would always be in her heart.

“I am sad to leave but also glad to go. The school has a strong management team and I am confident they will do well after I leave. Mrs Faith Biggs will run the school and she will delegate as much as she can before the new principal is named.”

Cameron-Ellis said she had noticed that it was becoming more difficult to instill discipline in some pupils but parents needed to take a stricter approach.

“Parents are giving their children a lot more freedom than they should. Also, parents are quick to jump to their child’s defence, even when the child is in the wrong.”

Cameron-Ellis, who attended an all-girls school herself, could read and write before she started school. She said her parents were strict disciplinarians.

They moved to Cape Town from the United Kingdom with her elder brother before she was born.

Next year, she plans to attend the famous Oberammergau Passion Play in Bavaria, Germany. People from all over the world visit the town to see an historical reenactment of the life of Jesus Christ.

“I will tell you all about it when I get back,” she said.