Few of us South Africans who lived through the early 1990s will forget the mood of the times. The winds of change could be felt by one and all. There was a vibrant and pervasive sense that very welcome political change was upon us, that we were about to become a new nation with our own destiny.
A host of anti-apartheid political organisations were unbanned. The doors of Robben Island swung open.
But for now, and as we continue to grapple with the national educational challenges of our own time, let me focus on what lessons begin to emerge from the individual and collective genius of these great educators.
Several of their general attributes, their culture and world-view are worth highlighting:
l They had a great sense of mission and this seemed to spring from their unshakeable nation-building ethos. I cannot count how many times we would, as strapping schoolboys and girls, be reminded that we were “tomorrow’s leaders” and that one day we would be called upon to rebuild our country.
Ha ha ha! So much for teachers’ moralising and speech-making, or so we thought.
l They were on top of their game – highly knowledgeable about their subjects, both in span and in depth.
For instance, I remember how, during a laid-back Friday afternoon session in Std 9 (today’s Grade 11), some of us tried to “trap” our maths teacher with a question on Einstein’s theory of relativity. Without blinking, he was able to snap back an insightful, expansive explanation of how the universe was “finite, but not bounded …”
A moment (and not an isolated one) sure enough to have caused old Hendrik Verwoerd to turn in his grave.
Indeed, it was absolutely through the efforts of such teachers that some of us were able to ascend to the greater heights of tertiary education, in fields such as advanced physics, applied mathematics, chemistry, geology, engineering, medicine ... areas of study far removed from the “hewers of wood” and “drawers of water” that Bantu education was designed to foster.
l These teachers had an infectious passion for educating the whole person. Many of us began to enjoy choral music, athletics, drama and debating simply because of the efforts of a choirmaster or sports-master who made it all seem so much fun. And it was. Or at least, it became.
l They were strict but loving disciplinarians.
l And lastly, they treated us as family and we in turn began to treat them as family … and have, in many cases, continued to do so to this very day.
In sum, most of us who went through the loving and capable hands of the excellent teachers back then become educationally “born again”. This was on the strength of their high purpose, their fervent instruction and their incandescent passion and vision.
Those of us who are teachers or educators today have a tough act to follow. This particular challenge has been staring us in the face since the beginning of the new dispensation.
The specific contribution of these teachers continues to flower. It is a leitmotif sustained through the lives and careers of many outstanding leaders and professionals in our society today, consistent with the old saying that the teacher’s positive impact reaches out into eternity (my paraphrase).
Camagu Soga is a professional engineer who serves on the Engineering Council of South Africa (Ecsa), and a trustee of the Sakhimfundo Trust, an Ecsa entity which champions engineering education and training in South Africa
Teachers tended fertile minds during dark times
A host of anti-apartheid political organisations were unbanned. The doors of Robben Island swung open.
But for now, and as we continue to grapple with the national educational challenges of our own time, let me focus on what lessons begin to emerge from the individual and collective genius of these great educators.
Several of their general attributes, their culture and world-view are worth highlighting:
l They had a great sense of mission and this seemed to spring from their unshakeable nation-building ethos. I cannot count how many times we would, as strapping schoolboys and girls, be reminded that we were “tomorrow’s leaders” and that one day we would be called upon to rebuild our country.
Ha ha ha! So much for teachers’ moralising and speech-making, or so we thought.
l They were on top of their game – highly knowledgeable about their subjects, both in span and in depth.
For instance, I remember how, during a laid-back Friday afternoon session in Std 9 (today’s Grade 11), some of us tried to “trap” our maths teacher with a question on Einstein’s theory of relativity. Without blinking, he was able to snap back an insightful, expansive explanation of how the universe was “finite, but not bounded …”
A moment (and not an isolated one) sure enough to have caused old Hendrik Verwoerd to turn in his grave.
Indeed, it was absolutely through the efforts of such teachers that some of us were able to ascend to the greater heights of tertiary education, in fields such as advanced physics, applied mathematics, chemistry, geology, engineering, medicine ... areas of study far removed from the “hewers of wood” and “drawers of water” that Bantu education was designed to foster.
l These teachers had an infectious passion for educating the whole person. Many of us began to enjoy choral music, athletics, drama and debating simply because of the efforts of a choirmaster or sports-master who made it all seem so much fun. And it was. Or at least, it became.
l They were strict but loving disciplinarians.
l And lastly, they treated us as family and we in turn began to treat them as family … and have, in many cases, continued to do so to this very day.
In sum, most of us who went through the loving and capable hands of the excellent teachers back then become educationally “born again”. This was on the strength of their high purpose, their fervent instruction and their incandescent passion and vision.
Those of us who are teachers or educators today have a tough act to follow. This particular challenge has been staring us in the face since the beginning of the new dispensation.
The specific contribution of these teachers continues to flower. It is a leitmotif sustained through the lives and careers of many outstanding leaders and professionals in our society today, consistent with the old saying that the teacher’s positive impact reaches out into eternity (my paraphrase).
Camagu Soga is a professional engineer who serves on the Engineering Council of South Africa (Ecsa), and a trustee of the Sakhimfundo Trust, an Ecsa entity which champions engineering education and training in South Africa
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