Going from silence to a major achiever

When King David Linksfield (KDL) 2025 matriculant Chad Goldberg started primary school, he was selectively mute. In other words, he wouldn’t speak at school. 

By the time he matriculated at KDL with two distinctions, he had come out of his shell, playing rugby and being appointed student leader. 

He described the source of his trauma. “In pre-nursery or nursery school, one of the teachers said I had done something or I got the blame for something. I thought to myself, there’s no point in talking if I’m just going to get in trouble. So, I decided not to.” 

He talked at home, but no matter what anyone said, he wouldn’t speak at school. 

“I would point to the bathroom when I needed to go. At the end of Grade 1, the principal called us in and said I had to talk or leave. I just couldn’t. My parents would offer me whatever I wanted, but I couldn’t do it,” he said. 

He moved schools to Torah Academy, King David Victory Park, then finally to KDL, where he was able to blossom, and over time, the issue started to fade. 

“It was definitely hard in the beginning, all the way until Grade 1. I had to move schools because of it, and from there, things slowly improved until high school, when everything became easier, not work-wise obviously, but socially,” he said. 

It was when he moved to KDL in Grade 9 that he started to come out of his shell as he discovered his true passions, particularly rugby. Playing rugby and becoming almost family with his teammates was the best part of his school career. 

“I used to train a lot in the mornings during the pre-season with my coach, and it gave me something to get up for and do,” he said. “I’ve played other sports like soccer and cricket, but never had such a social sport. It gave me a lot more friends and a lot more confidence to talk to people. You become so much closer to others, and the game itself has so much to it. There’s a lot of mental focus required as well as physical strength.” 

Similarly, he never thought he would become a student leader, given everything that had happened before, So when he was chosen, he couldn’t believe it. 

“I really didn’t think I was going to get it, so didn’t really care,” said Goldberg. “When I did, I was happy. I found it great to have a say in a lot of things. Even though students’ voices do matter and things can happen when they speak up, this felt like it was on a different level altogether.” 

He said academics has never been his strong suit, and he would have to force himself to study, so when he put his pen down for the final time, he was overwhelmed by relief that he had done it. Goldberg has decided to jump straight into studying, with the hope of doing a BSc in property studies at the University of the Witwatersrand.