WINNER
Belinda Harmse
Woel and Werskaf Pre-Primary School
North West
Belinda Harmse is a deeply religious person who believes that every teacher is a servant of God. “As teachers, our task is to polish each and every gem [child] for God,” she says.
Harmse knew she wanted to become a teacher from the age of 10.She has been at Woel and Werskaf Pre-Primary School for five years. Since she started teaching 24 years ago, Harmse has always worked closely with young children in lower grades.
“It is not how much we do as teachers, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in giving,” she says. Harmse is proud of her teaching career.
She’s produced many learners who still thank her today for having laid a solid foundation for their academic careers. Even when her brother asked her to manage his coffee shop in Hermanus, Cape Town, she turned his offer down.
“I know where my heart lies. I just cannot to do any job other than teaching.” Harmse says her method of teaching is informed by her belief that children learn and behave better when they receive a high level of trust, acceptance and generosity from their teacher.
She uses a learner-centred technique, allowing her to interact closely with every learner. She says in grade R the most important thing is to create a positive self-image among the children and let them believe they are winners.
Some of Harmse’s other teaching methods include peer group learning and fantasy play. During peer group learning she teaches learners about the importance of working together and helping one another. Fantasy play exposes children to a wide range of career options they can pursue when they finish their studies.
SECOND PLACE
Makhupe Rachel Manasoe
Onani Primary School
Limpopo
Manasoe Rachel Makhupe, head of department for the foundation phase at Onani Primary School, says teaching children at grade R level is challenging and exciting at the same time. “You are entrusted with the little ones whose minds are still fragile and this means [you have] to be extremely careful and responsible about what you say or do.”
She has 30 years’ teaching experience and joined the school in 1996. Makhupe enjoys “mothering” her learners because they are open to learning and are a pleasure to teach. Makhupe holds a BA Honours in management and an Advanced Certificate in Education on Inclusive and Special Needs Teaching. She says she uses a range of teaching methods.
“I use plays, stories, pictures, games and question and answer. Children’s response and participation is always high because they like to play, although they learn some serious stuff such as co-ordination, throwing and catching, and catching and kicking. Through these they develop their gross and fine motor
skills which are very crucial to develop at this stage.” She says as the children play, she monitors them closely to identify which of them need additional guidance. She also provides additional care to learners.
“We are serving a poor community and as such we experience lot of problems that affect the school. They range from child-headed homes to poverty and HIV/Aids. And as a teacher I must ensure I am part of the solution to these challenges.”
THIRD PLACE
Olga Sardinha
Harmony Pre-Primary School
Free State
Olga Sardinha says that one of her highlights of 2011 was teaching five learners who couldn’t speak a word of English when they started their school year fluency in the language. She describes her teaching style as hands-on. “If I can do it, you can too,” she says of her philosophy towards being a grade R teacher.
She reinstated parent-teacher meetings and encouraged parents to attend and take an interest in their children’s education. “I insisted on one-on-one meetings and became flexible enough to accommodate the parents’ busy schedules,” she says.
“The school was sceptical about this but all 36 parents in my class made themselves available. “We learned different ways of handling the children and worked out strategies to change a child’s behaviour.
“We can’t build a nation without working together.” One of the major challenges is the language barrier – most of the parents do not speak English. “I try to speak Sesotho because it is the most commonly spoken African
language in the area, but when I come across people who speak other languages it becomes a problem.” Although Sardinha wishes that the department of basic education could attend to problems quicker than they usually do, she is not discouraged by what lies ahead in terms of the future of the learners.
“They must get what they deserve and they deserve the best.”