School: St Theresa’s Convent School
Based: Coronationville, Gauteng
I am Mandisa Twala, a foundation phase educator who believes in the holistic development of the learner. I am of the belief that with the changing global landscape we need to identify our learner’s talents early on and encourage them to pursue them side by side with their academics. The education space needs teachers that are constantly in tune with global trends so as to influence education in a direction that will produce learners who are solution-oriented. I teach in this manner because I was once a learner who had educators who believed in me and also motivated me to participate in extra-curricular activities that were in line with the talker that I am. I not only grew academically but I also grew holistically. I hope to grow my understanding of mental health wellness in order to assist my learners from an early age to identify when they are no longer feeling well. The 21st-century learner is more in tune with their emotions and is not afraid to express themselves so my dream is to create safe spaces in schools where our children can speak their minds and not be afraid of being labelled as ‘loud mouths’ or a ‘know it alls’.
I am a firm believer in life-long learning so we as educators need to position ourselves to always be knowledgeable about the changing world which is challenging and influencing our education methods. My superpower is my ability to be uncompromising in situations that benefit learners and educators.
