TEACHING IS A WORK OF LOVE Mpule Dorcas Sekabate SADTU (South African Democratic Teachers Union)
In school, we were advised to think of the careers we want to follow when we finish school. I was doing maths and science and wanted to be a chemical engineer and if that failed, a dentist. Teaching was my last resort when everything else failed. I guess the universe had other plans for me. In my training as a teacher, I was never prepared for the fact that teaching requires more than just interacting with learners in the classroom. If one is going to make a meaningful change in a child’s life it requires engaging with learners beyond the classroom. It demands that a teacher gets to understand the learners and the environment they come from. I started teaching at the age of 21. The excitement, and at the same time anxiety, were overwhelming. I wondered if I would be a good teacher. As per the norm of the school, I was given a class to be in charge of. Throughout my training years I told myself that I would not want to be that teacher that learners are afraid to talk to even when they have problems or challenges with the subject. When I first met my class, I gave them rules for their behaviour. Some of the things I expected from them were respect of each other, dedication to their schoolwork, support of each other and most importantly, discipline at all times. I assured them that whilst I was their class teacher I was also their sister, mother and most of importantly their best friend. I took time to understand each one of my learners. I monitored their behaviour and their performance in different subjects. I was only teaching them mathematics but it became important for me that they perform well in all their subjects.
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