The IIE’s Varsity College Sandton IIE Bachelor of Education in Foundation Phase teaching students received a special visitor.
Doctor Nadia Swanepoel of the Department of Early Childhood Education at the University of Pretoria is a passionate lecturer who has presented several national papers at various educational conferences. She is all about networking with students and sharing her knowledge of languages and mathematical education with students studying towards their under-graduate and post-graduate degrees.
Swanepoel inspired the students by sharing what they can expect in their daily lives as a teacher, and what it means to set out to teach and change lives.
Some of the tips and tricks she shared included the need to become a good teacher by maintaining good communication skills, listening to the learners for their every need, and adaptability to the various methods of teaching, by ensuring that each learner is understood and catered for.
“You need to remember why you wake up every single day; what drives and motivates you to get out of bed. As a teacher, you are expected to wear many faces, and these faces need you to be ready to tackle challenges head-on and succeed and you need to let the passion keep you going as you are dealing with such eager minds who are ready to learn.”
She says teachers are the heartbeat and soul of their classroom, and this means, they need to control what happens in their classroom and that learners see the teacher as a role model.
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