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!

Building blocks: foundations for learning

posted on 2019-07-31 written by Lee Louw

"Every playroom should have multiple sets of unit blocks with assorted props linked to the children’s developmental stage and current interests. They should be displayed on open shelves with plenty of time and space to build and rebuild invented and familiar structures." Find out from Lee Louw, Educanda's early years' specialist, why using building blocks at school is so important for developing foundation learning.

Laugh at the mistake

posted on 2019-07-25 written by Charmaine Kendal

"When whiteboards and internet access were first introduced into the classroom, I remember having a few embarrassing moments which left me very red-faced and the butt of a few jokes," experienced teacher, Charmaine Kendal, explains how very often in teaching, laughter is the best medicine...

Have your behaviour management strategies at the ready!

posted on 2019-07-15 written by Rachel Carey

We’ve recently run a set of summits across South Africa looking at fostering emotional intelligence and reducing anti-social behavior in the classroom. A lot of the focus of the summits is that you can proactively change behavior in your classroom by implementing strategies to boost emotional intelligence in your learners. One of the discussions we have at the summits is around what consequences teachers are currently using in their classrooms, what the benefits and pitfalls of these are, and how effective they are in managing behavior. We’ve had some wonderful ideas shared and it seems only fair to pop them together in a blog post and share some of them with you too.

5 Steps to Choosing the Right Learning Support Material

posted on 2019-07-02 written by Lee Louw

Whether you are teaching babies or young children and you wish to buy educational resources to enhance your educational programme and meet your learning goals, you will need to keep the following criteria in mind.

20 Classroom Games to Improve Comprehension

posted on 2019-06-24 written by Karen Leigh Benkenstein

Using fun and interactive games to develop comprehension keeps learners engaged and motivated to read for meaning, while reducing some of the pressure involved in acquiring these skills. Remedial teacher and blogger, Karen Leigh Benkenstein, has compiled a list of her favourite 20 games to get your learners practicing their comprehension skills.

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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.
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.
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.