LIFE-CHANGING LESSONS: How Efua Sutherland Shaped the Founder of Martin de Porres School

When Mrs Florence Laast thinks of her mentor Efua Sutherland, she does not simply remember a teacher who stood before a classroom. She remembers a woman who corrected her without making her feel small, explained her mistakes with patience and made her feel that she could always return with another question.

Decades later, the lessons remain so vivid that, given one more chance to speak to her mentor, Mrs Laast knows exactly what she would say.

“Auntie, I can’t thank you enough. You have made me what I am today,” she said.

It is a tribute that captures the extraordinary power of a teacher to shape a life long after the lessons have ended.

Mrs Laast met Efua Sutherland at St Monica Primary School in Cape Coast, where she was her adult teacher. Their relationship continued into her years at teacher training college, giving Efua Sutherland more time to influence the young woman who would eventually establish St Martin de Porres School.

What stayed with Mrs Laast was not simply what her teacher knew, but how she treated the people she taught. “She was so caring,” Mrs Laast told Kafui Dey.

She acknowledged that other people had shown her care while growing up, but Sutherland stood out for the attention she gave her pupils and the ease with which they could approach her.

When a pupil did something wrong, Efua Sutherland did not simply reprimand them and move on. She took time to explain what had gone wrong, why it was wrong and how the behaviour affected other people.

That difference mattered.

“You get to understand that not that she just wants to make you unhappy, but she is doing this to help you,” Mrs Laast recalled.

Instead of leaving pupils afraid of making mistakes, Sutherland helped them understand their mistakes. They could approach her with questions, sit with her and have things explained again.

For Mrs Laast, that was a lesson in teaching that went beyond discipline. It showed her that correcting a child could be an act of care rather than an exercise in authority.

Efua Sutherland’s influence was not confined to conventional lessons. Known for her work as a playwright and educator, she also exposed pupils to drama, speech and other creative activities.

Mrs Laast took part in these extracurricular activities and would later draw on similar experiences in her own work with children.

When she established St Martin de Porres School, Efua Sutherland was pleased to see her take that step. At the time, Sutherland was working with a drama group, and the group visited the new school to engage the pupils in activities that included drama, storytelling and painting.

On two occasions, Efua Sutherland also organized weekend camps at the school, bringing together its pupils and children from the wider community.

The visits offered more than entertainment. They gave children opportunities to learn, express themselves and participate in activities they might not otherwise have experienced.

For Mrs Laast, seeing her former teacher bring those opportunities to her school strengthened her own determination to do more for the community.

“They gave me the impetus, the zeal to give even more to the community,” she said.

It was a continuation of the influence Sutherland had begun exerting years earlier: a teacher who did not merely impart knowledge but inspired her pupil to create opportunities for others.

Madam Efua Sutherland is also remembered for her literary contribution, particularly The Marriage of Anansewa, her acclaimed collection of short stories. But for Mrs Laast, her legacy is deeply personal, rooted in the everyday encounters that helped shape her values and approach to life.