[WATCH] Hero teacher calms kids through Cape Town shootings: ‘I can’t show fear; they’ll pick it up’

CapeTalk’s Lester Kiewit speaks with Sinead Majiet, a Grade R teacher at Yellowwood Primary School in Mitchell’s Plain.

Listen below:

Gun violence is the tragic norm on the Cape Flats.

Majiet tries to protect her young students from this trauma by soothing them when gunshots start flying nearby.

She says the school will announce that there is a ‘code 39’, which means there is a shooting taking place near the school, which is how she will know to settle the children.

“Immediately, I locked my door, moved my kids away from the window, and instructed them to lie flat on the mat.”

- Sinead Majiet, Grade R teacher - Yellowwood Primary School

In a video going viral, she can be heard playing calming music from the animated film Moana for her students and tells them to lie on the floor, close their eyes, and focus on the sound.

The beautiful piano music drowns out the mayhem and violence just outside, and the children stay focused and safe in their classroom.

Majiet says that, unfortunately, these children have been so exposed to gun violence that she hears stories about it from them every Monday when she asks about their weekends.

“The feedback that they give me is heartbreaking. The trauma, even if a car backfires, they think there is a shootout nearby.” 

- Sinead Majiet, Grade R teacher - Yellowwood Primary School

She adds that at school, she has to ensure she is calm when violence erupts, so that the children do not pick up on her fear and become panicked.

“I can’t show my emotions to my learners. They’ll pick it up immediately. So, when I get home, I put on my calm music, I breathe, and I try not to take it to heart because mental health is very important.”

- Sinead Majiet, Grade R teacher - Yellowwood Primary School

RELATED: Hero teacher soothes young Cape Town children while gunshots erupt nearby

Despite the trauma, she says these children are full of hope, and many want to become police officers, doctors, and nurses to help heal their communities.

Warning: the following video may be disturbing for some viewers. We received permission from parents and Majiet to share it.

Scroll up to the audio player for more.