The schools have just opened and a lot has been said about learners’ results and the role of teachers. Some have been branded good and others bad, a debate that I will not get into. I have had teachers who had no concept of hard work whilst I have also gone through wonderful teachers who played a huge role in who I am.
I learnt from my teachers a lot more than the curriculum provided for. There were those I vowed not to emulate and those who inspired me to greater heights. I want to use this column to honour some of these teachers and reflect on the lessons they taught.
I was in Standard 4 (grade 6) when a teacher said something that stuck in my mind. He told our class that a good thing about life is that you don’t have to lie in front of a car to know that it can injure or even kill a person. You only had to know of someone who was hit by a car. What this taught me was that I do not have to repeat mistakes that other people commit in order to learn of their effects. That was many years ago and I later learnt that this teacher passed away in circumstances that I would not wish for anyone. I liked him but what hit him should not get me and I’m sure he would understand that. He succumbed to circumstances and lived a life of a defeated man until he died. I will always be grateful for what he taught me regardless of how he lived.
I earlier wrote in this column about my standard 5 (grade 7) teacher whose life story taught me to persevere. He came from a very poor family and had to work at a bakery at night to be able to go to school during the day. I learnt from him that we have no right to resign ourselves to being victims of our backgrounds. He taught me that being poor is no excuse for not excelling. Seeing him as a teacher proved to me that anyone can make it in life.
In high school I became a student leader and an anti-apartheid activist. The understanding of the goodness of our cause and the intransigence of our oppressors sometimes led to a single-mindedness that at times could undermine other elements of life. A teacher brought this forcefully to my attention when we threatened to disrupt classes for the umpteenth time. In desperation he told our delegation the danger of class disruptions is that even when learners got back to classes it took time to regain the culture of learning and teaching. I could not betray the students and agree with him but I went back to my constituency a convinced person about the importance of ensuring that a culture of teaching and learning remains intact. I sometimes wonder what is this teacher’s position now as teachers disrupt classes more than learners. I am not passing judgment on their cause but hope that my teacher pricks their conscience as he did mine.
I have learnt a lot from many teachers in my schooling journey from Langabuya to Mbekweni and Simon Hebe/Desmond Tutu schools. These lessons contribute in shaping the person I become and I continue to reflect and debate with them.
It seems like the teaching profession is loosing its lustre and thus we hear of a pending shortage of teachers. A national weekly reported on a research report that was conducted by the Education, Training and Development Practices Seta. The report states that South Africa faces a shortage of up to 94000 teachers by 2015. It blames this on poor planning and the effects of Aids-related illnesses. We need to find a way to bring back the profession’s lustre for the sake of future generations.
The report talks of about 42000 teachers that are expected to retire over the next seven years whereas, 18000 will die and 2000 emigrate annually. This happens while fewer numbers of people are qualifying as teachers. We also witness a situation of those who are in the profession but eager to leave the classroom to become government administrators or politicians.
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