My advice to the student teacher

In my passage at BTTC I came to realise that it is only an almost non-existent fraction of student teachers that actually ever had the childhood dream of being a Socratic midwife, eliciting ideas from a bunch of children in a classroom. At some point some of us can confess of even despising the profession. Whether it was our conscious decision, one made for us or  the ugly hand of fate, the matter of fact is, somehow- in the thick of things- we found ourselves at the teachers college.  I also learned through careful observation that depending on your mindset, the teaching profession can either be a cemetery of dreams and aspirations or it can be the direct opposite, a stepping stone to a greater destiny. With this in mind it is imperative that as educators we should have a sharp focus and a level head and think beyond the classroom. The world is bigger than we can ever imagine and is filled with boundless opportunities. Unfortunately these opportunities are never on a silver plate but you have to create them.  The greatest tool which you have to take you to the next level is your brain- use it! One cannot simply afford to have a slow mind in such a fast paced world.  Opportunity is everywhere but you have to develop yourself socially, intellectually and spiritually to identify and manipulate chances that come your way. It is in vain to try to seek solace in regret  or  blaming others for the past but you stand to gain much by molding your future. One does not deserve to be a teacher if he/she is not willing to learn. How can one be a custodian of education if s/he does not appreciate it? Continue learning, don’t stop, when you are at college expose yourself, develop skills and make meaningful connections. Some people take for granted things such as clubs, workshops and student leadership but trust me, those are pivotal platforms as far as personal development is concerned.  Make informed decisions, it better to lose a moment in life than life in a moment; it is worthwhile to remember for every action there is a consequence. You should strive to be a leader in all facets, be in control of the situation and not to be controlled by it. History bears testimony to the fact that most great personalities such as politicians were once mere teachers but they dreamt. So what can stop you? Even though society has been socialized to view teachers lowly, you should make it your ambition to challenge the status quo by being a teacher of excellence in all spheres. Above all make the fear of the LORD your priority

(Originally posted in Facebook Group: Bttc Times 12 February 2013)

Student Leadership- The hey days.

I came across this picture of my younger self. 2010 was the year, I dont quite actually remember the date but I know that this picture was taken after  giving the campaign and manifesto speech when I was campaigning for the post of Secretary general  for the Students Representative Council at my college; Belvedere Technical Teacher’s College. The election was tightly contested and I was going against a senior student,needless by the grace of God  I won that election by a comfortable margin.

The post came with so much responsibilities, as a team we under the guidance of our president Misheck Maphosa we had to plan on meals for more than 800 students, from procurement to setting up the  timetable for meals. It was at that time when the economy was just recovering. Previously the meals consisted of meals that were just sadza and beans (full of weevils) and cabbages.  We introduced the system of sealed food stuffs  from trusted brands (Mealie Meal, sugar, salt, powdered soups etc) as well as a small fee to cover for meat provisions. We also put in measures to ensure that the food that was bought was correctly accounted for and all records kept and engaged staff from the the Hotel and catering department to check if the quality of food being prepared well. This improved the quality of meals for all the students.

We were very open on all expenditure for the meals and we used to print the reciepts of  the money spent so that every student would have insight on how money was being spent.

We also were involved in disciplinary hearings defending students in various cases.  Some of the cases we would highlight some injustices on how the students were being treated and others although the students were guilty beyond reasonable doubt we   pleaded for lighter sentences for the guilty party.

We also worked closely with the dean of students at official college events eg sports as well as organising club activities As leaders we also used to be proactively involved in Activities eg HIV testing,clean up campaigns, blood donations as part of being leading by example.

We also worked on programmes that were aimed at assisting  less privileged students who were unable to pay their fees through a ‘work and learn’ programme. We also bargained for students in difficult situations to get residence in the hostels while they were still sorting out the payments. We also successfully bargained with the administration for a staggering fees payment on a monthly which made it easier for self funding students to pay for their fees.

We were also responsible for leading  spearheading peaceful protests  for better student conditions. We also successfully lobbied for a generator so that students could have more time to study against the background of and a heavy duty generator was bought as well as  library hours extended.

These were some of the best days for me at college.