What makes a good teacher is a question that people in education grapple with regularly. I spoke to Matlodi Sekoto, a grade two teacher from the Paul Mosaka School in Soweto. Matlodi has been nominated for a good-teaching award by the staff at the school.
What makes you a good teacher?
I love teaching. I love children. Their success is my success. I want to produce holistic learners who can think for themselves.
What makes you a good teacher?
I create a learning environment that is exciting. My classroom is special and learners enjoy being in it. I visit the homes of the learners. I listen and share solutions with the parents.
Teaching is a demanding job. How do you cope?
It is a labour of love. I plan. I start early in the morning and stay at school late preparing for classes.
Why do you think you were nominated you for this award?
I share knowledge with other staff members. I believe teaching is a collaborative effort – we win as a team not as individuals. I am interested in the learners, and I discuss with other teachers how I coped with particular learners.
Some learners are difficult to teach. How do you deal with them?
We used to use corporal punishment, but now we motivate our learners. I use my own money to buy little incentives for excellent work and I also listen and allow pupils and parents to confide in me. A portion of me is a social worker, and needs from home have an impact on the learning process. I am also in charge of the school’s feeding scheme – a healthy body makes for a healthy mind.
How do you cope with absenteeism?
There are social barriers that we need to deal with and understand with our learners. I will consult with the parent or guardian to keep the learner up to speed with the rest of the class.
What is your style of teaching?
I prepare for every lesson using outcomes-based methodology. I don’t underestimate the knowledge learners already have. If we are talking on pollution, a visit to a stream can make the topic come alive. Learners need to actively participate in order to understand. Peer support is also encouraged. I also spend a lot of time reading to the class. They enjoy this as they learn new words. I encourage them to read and listen to the radio to develop their language skills.
Why are your learners so fluent in English in grade two?
The language of learning in the Foundation Phase is Tswana. The billboards surrounding the pupils advertise in English, and they hear the Senior Phase learners speaking English.
What message would you share with other teachers?
Be fond of your work, cherish the learners and respect your colleagues – these are the ingredients for being a good teacher.
Matlodi’s classroom is attractive. The learning aids she has created are simple but effective. The learners seem at home and enjoy their surroundings. What have we learnt from talking to Matlodi? Prepare your lesson properly. Take your learners from the known to the unknown through their experience of what they can see, touch and feel. Brings a radio to school. Matlodi motivates learners to be observant. Make the classroom attractive with learning aids. Educators complain that they do not have books. The backlog of resources in education is being dealt with. Use the print media – newspapers – as reading material. So much of this depends on you loving your job and the learners you teach. It is important as teachers to go back to basics.
Write to Thandi Chaane, c/o the Teacher TALK/BUA, PO Box 91667 Auckland Park 2006, or e-mail: [email protected]
– The Teacher/M&G Media, Johannesburg, August 2001.