Meet Kathleen Truter: A retired teacher with 'so much more fun and love to give'

Celebrating women who actively go out into their communities with one goal: to make a positive impact...

Today’s Leading Lady is Kathleen Truter, a teacher with 46 years of experience who came out of retirement after seeing the literacy gap in her community.

Truter is described as a "woman who pours her time, love and patience into helping young learners find their confidence in reading, writing and math. She tutors students with so much care and dedication often for little to no compensation simply because she believes in giving them a chance to succeed... her kindness and quiet commitment make her an everyday hero," writes the anonymous person who nominated her for Tracey's Leading Lady.

Truter explains that after retirement at 65 years old, she still had so much to give.

Her passion for helping students from vulnerable communities come from her personal experience with her two children. Her son, who was mentally challenged, would sit at home with a desk full of books but he couldn't write his own name.

Truter's son passed away in January this year at 46 years old - that's when she decided to mentor learners and "do good."

Truter notes that "reading is the key to a solid education and that 78% of our Grade 4 learners cannot read with mental penetration with insight, so I have just decided to make learning fun for these kids."

Truter explains what keeps her motivated on tough days...

"Teaching must be fun. I make the environment user-friendly for them. When they sit and study with me, I would make a fire, put some treats out and the learners would sit around and we would interact. Learners tell their parents that they just want to come to lessons even if it's not their day for lessons... it's only love and fun."

- Kathleen Truter - Leading Lady

Truter shares one of the biggest lessons she has learnt... 

"My students have taught me to always be humble..."

- Kathleen Truter - Leading Lady

She has a message for every struggling child or parent...

"Always believe in your child... everyone is unique. In Afrikaans, 'agter os kom ook in die kraal.' They learn at their own pace, but they will get there. And don't always strive for code 7 which is the highest code, because if your child has done their best and you've supported that child – even if they get a code 5 or 6 but they've done their best, they're a winner."

- Kathleen Truter - Leading Lady

Scroll up to the audio player for more.