An Interview with Miss de Villiers

If you’ve ever sat in Miss de Villiers’ class, you’ll know that she has just the right balance of calm wisdom and mischievous humour. So, when I got the chance to interview her, we were eager to hear what advice, stories, and secrets she might share. Spoiler: explosives in the swimming pool and an army of rabbits were both involved.

When asked what advice she would give Year 11s as they begin their AS courses, though this can apply to all students going through stressful times, Miss de Villiers emphasized that as students we need to pace ourselves. Balancing portfolios, sport, and academics can be tricky, so she also reminded students to “learn to say no.” Sometimes it’s better to skip an extra activity than to sacrifice sleep or peace of mind.

Miss de Villiers also provided inspirational quotes, ones that help her with stress and motivation. One of her favourites is “Work not worry”—a mantra that she says helps students fight stress and anxiety. When the workload and stress is towering, start small and take on one piece of work at a time, she says that  “it puts you in control”, and is confident that “you’ll get further than you think”. Another quote she adheres to can even be found in her classroom, “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn how to surf.” Powerful advice that shows how she believes that “one of the most important things you can do in life is choose your reaction rather than just reacting” when things around you are out of control. Later she states, “A lot of the time when stuff happens, we react very quickly. But if the worst that can happen isn’t that you’ll perish in that second, you can usually step back and calm down.” She illustrated this with a story from a school trip, when she brought the wrong fitting for a camping stove and gas began to leak. Her first instinct was to throw it away and pretend it didn’t exist. But a teacher encouraged her to hold onto it, giving her time to think and fix it. For her, the lesson was simple: don’t panic—solutions often appear once you pause.

Of course, she knows first-hand how stressful school can become. Having gone to boarding school, she described days that were “lessons in the morning, sports in the afternoon, and fixed studying times at night.” Far from resenting the structure, she found that it gave her control. Sport became her saving grace in helping to control the stress from school work: “I became a different person on the court or the field,” she said. “After exercise, I was always more focused and relaxed.” As we continued on the topic of her school life, Miss de Villiers recounted a science lesson where her teacher “tried to get us engaged” by tossing different explosive elements into the swimming pool. Pausing with a grin, she added: “Maybe she chucked in more than she should have…”

If teaching weren’t her career, Miss de Villiers confessed that she’d return to her adventurous past. “I used to be a river guide on the Vaal River,” she said, explaining how much she enjoyed seeing people work together in extreme situations. She ran an adventure centre in the Northern Cape for three years, leading activities from archery to white-water rafting. On the topic of unexpected facts, mam went on to share that at one point in her life, she owned thirteen rabbits. It all started as taking in her niece’s rabbit, where she then stated “I just wanted my bunny to have a buddy,” she laughed. “In the end, there were thirteen of them.”

Finally, no interview would be complete without asking about a favourite animal. For Miss de Villiers, the answer was “Dogs”. She owns two Yorkies, Joy and Tjokkie, whom she calls “more like my family than anything else.” With a smile, she added: “A puppy’s love is unconditional, so you can’t help but love them.”

-Rachel