While you were Teaching...

This blog is intended for Teachers across South Africa and the rest of the African content, to remain inspired to stay in Teaching.

You work hard, under difficult circumstances, and not always gain the appreciation you deserve.
It comes with huge responsibility, is non-stop and often chaotic.

Take a moment to remember why you became a teacher in the first place.
It wasn't just for targets and test results was it?
It was for something far more important. You wanted to change lives - to make a difference.
To inspire young learners. To guide them on the road to adulthood. To see them grow, experience and discover the many wonders of life!

And that is why we this blog is here. To give you the tools to help you make the magic happen. Read, share and above all, appreciate what you do on a daily basis!

7 Classroom Activities to Build Self-Confidence

posted on 2019-04-15 written by Karen Leigh Benkenstein

Check out these 7 great activity ideas of things that you can do to boost self-confidence and self-esteem in your classroom. Simple, easy, to the point, and effective. Let us know which one is your favourite...

The Self-Esteem Construction

posted on 2019-04-08 written by Karen Leigh Benkenstein

Teachers are the builders who are given the important job of building self-esteem every day, in the normal course of interacting with their learners. You cannot teach learners to feel good about themselves but you can provide them with the necessary tools to nurture their self-esteem, through continual support and encouragement. Read remedial teacher, Karen Leigh Benkenstein's piece on self- esteem.

Model Behaviour

posted on 2019-03-19 written by Charmaine Kendal

None of us likes to work under a mercurial, unpredictable boss. So, in the same way, our pupils need to feel safe and secure in our class. They need someone who is grounded and who is approachable, who is forgiving of their weaknesses and treats them consistently. This builds the respect and trust on which the teacher pupil relationship is based. In this blog post, experienced teacher, Charmaine Kendal, explains just how important self-awareness is as a teacher and how it can positively impact on your class and teaching.

Four changes you can make NOW for a more emotionally intelligent classroom

posted on 2019-03-07 written by Rachel Carey

Creating a classroom environment that is safe and accepting is probably the most valuable gift that you can give your learners. Not only will it make the learning in your classroom more accessible, but you’ll also be giving your learners the foundation skills for a lifetime of resilience, problem-solving and positive communication. Read, occupational therapist and blogger, Rachel Carey's four changes you can make in your classroom to achieve this.

Professional Development: we are worth it

posted on 2019-02-24 written by Charmaine Kendal

We need to take our profession very seriously and then others will start to take us seriously. And if we are taking ourselves seriously, we will want to keep ourselves informed, abreast of changes, and continually growing and connected to others in our profession. Read Charmaine Kendal's opinion piece on why doing professional development is so very important to our individual practice and to our profession as teachers as a whole.

Loading Pages...please wait

Showing page 1 of 11 pages

Blogger Profiles

Heleen Johnson

Heleen Johnson is an Occupational Therapist with over 35 years of experience in the field of Education. Read more here.
Karen Leigh Benkenstein

Karen Leigh Benkenstein is a fully qualified Foundation Phase Teacher, specializing in Special Needs children. She has taught children with a variety of educational and emotional barriers. Read more here.
Rachel Carey

Rachel Carey has been working as a children's Occupational Therapist for the past 10 years. she has worked in both special needs and mainstream settings with children with a range of challenges and difficulties. Read more here.
Inspirational Stories from Teachers

There is no lack of inspirational Teachers across our country, but when you Google "Teachers South Africa", you are often targeted with negative news. Share your inspirational story with us via info@educanda.co.za.
Charmaine Kendal

With over 40 years of teaching and management experience, Charmaine Kendal has a wealth of wisdom to offer teachers. The valuable lessons she has learned in the classroom and as deputy principal have equipped her with the skills to mentor and guide newly qualified teachers as well as to support more experienced staff. She is a published author, publishing youth literature and contributing to a number of textbooks. Charmaine has lectured education at tertiary level and has designed learning modules for education students.