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It was almost Christmas and so I got this young lad to assist me with a toy collection drive. He became the leader of this project and we collected 840 toys and distributed them to hospitals and children homes. What made this drive special was that this very ‘suicidal student’ dressed as Santa Claus, handed out the toys and made the children laugh. This was his life changing moment. He realized that even though he didn’t receive love at home, he had so much love to give to others. There were children that were worse off than him that he could help make a difference to. This boosted his self-esteem and made him happy and confident. And so the various community projects began, with the benefit of building the self-esteem of my learners and helping the community at large. We raised R20 000 to buy 500 blankets for needy families during winter, takkies for Aids orphans, food and clothing for families whose homes were ravaged by fire etc.
What is your greatest moment as a teacher?
A motto that I designed and firmly live by:
“TRUE SUCCESS IS MEASURED BY THE SIZE OF ONES’S HEART AND THE ABILITY TO USE THAT HEART TO AFFECT POSITIVE CHANGE IN SOCIETY!” Ms Roslyn Narain won R10 000 towards her project for entering the Stars in Education Awards.
My greatest moment as an educator was when my learner called me at 5am in the morning to say, ‘Mam, I passed” and he just got 40%. Well, to me it was not just 40%, it was how he grew as a person too. We, as educators, all need to strive to get this combination correct, because this essentially completes a child’s learning! My reason for establishing RAFAL is that I recognized a serious need amongst the elderly in my community who were desperate to learn, read and write and I seized this opportunity. I now have a class of 40 learners between the ages of 55 and 79 years old. It is a rewarding experience to watch them grow and develop mentally. To watch them sign their signatures for the very first time was an emotional achievement. They have a full school curriculum which includes a sporting program, excursions, a debutant ball and graduation.
Challenge posed to all educators My challenge to all educators Take the time to get to know ok to find out who they really the right direction and provide compassion and care! 18
in South Africa is: your learners. It’s are, steer them in that much needed
2011 National Teacher’s Guide
Above: Roslyn Narain (left) and Shiksha Lutchmipersadh (nominating learner).