Teaching is about the child, not the subject ❤️
We could learn a lot from Finland, where education places great emphasis on teacher-student relationships, professional expertise and allowing children to develop without constantly comparing them through standardised tests.
After many years of teaching, I’ve always disliked over-testing. I’d much rather get to know each teenager, celebrate their unique talents and encourage them to challenge me with thought-provoking questions. Some of my most memorable moments have been celebrating with students who passed despite significant challenges, just as enthusiastically as those who achieved top marks.
Today, I run EZ Learn, an online tutoring business with a small team of wonderful, like-minded teachers. We primarily support Cambridge students, and I love the flexibility this system offers. Students can take different subjects at different levels and write examinations when they’re ready to progress.
We use past papers extensively from the beginning, not to test and rank children, but to develop their understanding and exam skills. With a maximum of six students per class, we can build relationships and give each child more individual attention.
Having taught and examined in the IEB system, I appreciate its flexibility compared with CAPS. However, I believe Cambridge offers greater freedom to tailor learning to individual needs.
My biggest concern is that many South African children are still experiencing highly prescriptive education that can prioritise memorisation over genuine critical thinking. In a world that demands adaptability, analysis and problem-solving, we need to ask whether our education system is equipping young people with the skills they really need.
We may not be able to transform the entire system overnight, but we can make a difference in our own classrooms and homes.
As teachers and parents, let's take the time to SEE each child. How are they feeling today? What makes them curious? What are their strengths? Are we giving them the space to question, explore and discover?
Every child deserves to feel valued for who they are, not just for the marks they achieve.
And if we can do that while teaching a subject like Accounting, surely anything is possible! 😁
#Education #Teaching #StudentCentredLearning #Cambridge #EZLearn
I am passionate about teaching Accounting, Business Studies and Economics and making these subjects relevant, easy and fun. I have over 25 years' teaching experience, authored the EZ Learn guides, was an IEB examiner and have always immersed myself in a variety of areas in education.
