I have been teaching various grades at my primary school for the past four years, so it was only recently that I had my first opportunity to attend a workshop on outcomes-based education (OBE) for Grade 6.
What an experience! The eight learning areas were each covered in workshops over eight days. We easily met the outcomes that were set at the beginning of each of the workshops, so I’m not sure why we had to be there all day. I also wondered about my learners at school missing out on the all-important contact time with us — the teachers. Are our schools expected to have extra teachers on hand to educate our learners in our absence?
But I was very impressed with the subject advisors who facilitated the workshops in our area. They equipped each of us with resource packs, and we clearly have many hours of teamwork ahead of us to make OBE work.
There was one subject advisor in particular, Lynce Trussel, who made an amazing impression on me. She was dynamic, vibrant, in touch with the realities at school-level and willing to address our issues. Through this, she conveyed a passion about her subject matter. It was extremely refreshing to experience this from someone who sits in an office, yet whose soul is still very much in touch with the reality of being a teacher.
After all, I often feel that the only way bureaucrats in the Department of Education are relevant to me is that they pay my salary. Many times teachers feel as if they are just a number to these people — it reminds me of the number system they use in prisons.
Presently many of these ‘numbers” — oops, I mean teachers — feel insulted by the recently implemented registers for all staff. This register prescribes certain procedures to be followed if a teacher is absent from school. For example, in the case of illness, you first have to write a letter stating your predicament before you can leave the school.
In the interim you could possibly regress from being sick to being terminally ill.
This departmental focus on teachers being at school for the regulation number of hours a week can really upset teachers, especially those who put in many (unrewarded) hours for extramural activities. Yes, I know the department can argue that teachers have the school holidays to rest — but for all we know, they could be making plans at this very moment to compel
teachers to come to school even during this well-deserved period of rest!
To all teachers and subject advisers who go the extra mile, I applaud you — and I hope you know that you’re appreciated for making a very positive, long-lasting contribution to the lives of the learners.