Florence Dolphyne

"One of the best things about teaching is that you relate to very young people, much younger than you are and it helps you to also stay young. There is something about young people, which is very interesting. They come up with ideas that you haven’t even thought about and this helps to keep you young."

"Treat people with respect no matter who they are. Don’t allow your challenges to negatively affect the good relationships you have built."

"Cultivate a good work ethic. Avoid excuses and don’t disappoint those who depend on you."

"Your age or gender does not determine whether you have leadership potential. Don’t let them deter you."

"Treasure the gift of family, not just nuclear but also extended. It’s a highly beneficial network. The family unit must be nurtured and preserved."

"Everyone needs someone they can freely relate to and confide in. No matter how high you rise, preserve the bonds with people who can relate to you with sincerity."

"Take responsibility and say sorry if you must. It can heal many wounds and resolve complex situations."

"I took extra interest in guiding and nurturing students along their academic path because it was one of the things that made her fulfilled."

"Mfantsipim was an interesting experience, we were the second set of girls who went there for the sixth form because Wesley Girls then didn’t have the sixth form. Before that, there was a group of girls from Wesley Girls School who did their sixth form at St Augustine’s and then later the headmistress decided that we go to Mfantsipim."

"We had a very interesting experience and the teachers at a time didn’t even know how to handle us and the boys in the class, some of them were a bit uncomfortable and wouldn’t answer a question they were not too sure about."

"Avoid excuses; avoid blaming others and giving excuses. Face up to situations, even when they are unpleasant, and deal with them."

"Prayer; I always start my day with prayer to thank God for keeping me alive and safe. I also ask him for wisdom and strength to go through the day."

"Faith; have faith that God is in control of your life. Trust him and depend on him for courage to overcome your challenges."

"The golden rule; do unto others as you would have them do to you."

"Having a daughter is not punishment."

"Most of the lessons which influenced her successful career in academia were passed on by her father who took keen interest in her upbringing."

"Fathers should not leave the responsibility of the upbringing of the girl-child to women alone because if fathers contribute to the raising of the child, it will go a long way to benefit this country."

"You have so many years to live and so if you think that just going to school and finishing is all that you need, then you have a problem because there is so much that happens in life through everybody that if you don't learn from them, you have a serious problem. That is what molds your character, thinking process, relationship with people and so on."