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!

5 Reasons why your school should have a resource centre

posted on 2019-10-14 written by Lee Louw

Educational resources are expensive. So, how can your school get the variety of educational resources it needs without overspending? In this blog post, early years' specialist Lee Louw discusses the advantages of starting your own resource centre at your school.

Supporting children with Dyslexia

posted on 2019-10-01 written by Carla Kuhlmey

Children with dyslexia seem bright and capable yet struggle with reading, spelling and writing. How, as teachers, can we help these children with this brain-based difficulty? What are the signs we need to look out for, and how can we offer support in the classroom? Academic support teacher, Carla Kuhlmey flags the key points for you in this blog post.

Make your classroom a playroom!

posted on 2019-09-18 written by Lee Louw

Many of us talk about our classroom and about the “work” children do for us every day. Perhaps we do this in an effort to make parents take us more seriously and understand that there is learning going on at school? But are we changing the way that we see learning happening and forgetting about play in our early years’ schools? Read early years' specialist Lee Louw's blog piece on how to make your classroom a playroom again.

Scissor skills - what's the big deal?

posted on 2019-09-11 written by Rachel Carey

Occupational therapist and blogger, Rachel Carey, recounts how as a student, when she was studying child development and school readiness, her lecturer told the class that, before learning to write, every child should have cut with scissors the distance to Joburg and back again. She was a student in Cape Town. That’s quite a bit of cutting…. 2,800kms to be precise. So, what’s the big idea with scissor skills and cutting? Do we do it as a functional skill to acquire the ability to cut around a worksheet? Or is there something more? Read her latest blog piece to find out.

A Pyramid of Learning

posted on 2019-09-03 written by Carla Kuhlmey

It is increasingly evident that more and more children experience difficulty coping with the demands that a day at school brings. There are a number of possibilities that may impact negatively on a child’s performance. In this blog post, academic support teacher Carla Kuhlmey explains how understanding children’s profiles and needs, as an educator, is of paramount importance. She looks at the core components of learning which allow teachers to gain insight into the underlying factors contributing to a child’s difficulties.

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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.
Carla Kuhlmey

Carla Kuhlmey taught in the Foundation Phase for 12 years before discovering a passion for helping learners with specific difficulties. She is currently working at a well known KZN Prep school as the Academic Support Teacher. She has been supporting parents and children at the school for the past 5 years.
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.
Lee Louw

Lee Louw is a qualified pre-primary teacher with more than 20 years of experience. She has taught children from age 3 up to 8 as well as lecturing adults. She combines her work with Educanda with teaching ECD at a college. She has written 4 textbooks and 2 lecturers’ guides in the Educare field.