Top 2022 Education Students Recognised During Teachers’ Month

The Dean of the Faculty of Education, Professor Sithabile Ntombela, recently celebrated all faculty students who distinguished themselves by attaining a minimum aggregate of 75% across their modules in the 2022 academic year.

The highfliers were appreciated at a grand event held at the King Bhekuzulu Hall, where dance celebrations and motivation were the order of the day. They were specially awarded certificates of merit by the dean and treated to a scrumptious three-course meal, after receiving congratulatory messages from Professor Vuyokazi Nomlomo, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning, and the faculty dean.

Prof Nomlomo told the students that their consistent hard work and unwavering determination in the past year was proof that there were no limits to what they could accomplish.  “I encourage you to use this recognition as a source of self-motivation and discipline to reach even greater heights. We have great expectations for your future contributions to society and the world at large. May your academic journey continue to be marked by excellence and achievements,” she added.

The dean reminded the celebrants that their role as educators was paramount because they sharpen personnel for every profession in the world. “Education is the mother of all professions,” she emphasised. This, Prof Ntombela added, therefore called for teachers to lead by example – first at university, and then in the classrooms where they are to secure employment.

To further stress to the attendees the life-changing role played by teachers, the dean shared a famous story about Mrs Thompson, a grade five teacher, and her learner Teddy Stoddard. Having noticed his aggressive demeanour on the playground, poor academic performance and general unkept appearance, Mrs Thompson immediately dislikes Teddy. She deliberately marks his tests last, taking delight in marking bold every “x” with her red pen. She even writes Teddy’s “F” much bigger than the other learners’ attained symbols. This is not until she looks into Teddy’s academic performance in the previous grades that her view of the little boy completely changes.

She discovers that Teddy has recently lost his mother and has been severely affected by her passing. His father takes no interest in his son’s schoolwork or hygiene. Mrs Thompson then starts to pay more attention to Teddy, making sure he participates in class. This significantly improves his grades and by the end of that year, he is one of the smartest learners in class. Teddy writes Mrs Thompson a note the following year telling her that she is the best teacher he has ever had. The learner continues to write to his favourite teacher, updating her about his academic achievements. The pair reunites at Dr Teddy Stoddard’s wedding. Here, Mrs Thompson thanks him for teaching her how to really teach and truly make a difference.

The event took place just days after International Teachers’ Day which made it both timely and poetic as this was a celebration of the future teachers of the world.

• Naledi Hlefane