Teacher inculcates love for reading
Being an avid reader herself, Mathapo believes the benefits of reading are endless.
Tsakani – The GreatMinds Reading Programme allowed local children to explore Rahab Molepo Library on Tuesday.
Programme founder Siphiwe Mathapo wants the children in her community to maximise their use of the resources available to them. The logistics graduate discovered her passion after a short stint in the corporate world.
“Even though I was doing what I studied, I felt like I was not in the right place. It was just not a good fit,” Mathapo explained.
When Covid-19 hit, Mathapo, like many others, found herself unemployed.
“I applied to be an educator’s assistant at one of the local secondary schools and got the job. They placed me in the library, and I worked closely with the English HoD,” she added.
During that time, she noticed many children did not visit the library and some who did struggled to read.
“Some of them didn’t even know the alphabet,” she said.
Being an avid reader, Mathapo believes reading has endless benefits.
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“I decided to help some of the learners after school. In corporate, I would only finish work at about 17:00, and working at a school, we finish at 14:00, so I had time,” she joked.
Mathapo said she quickly saw an improvement in the learners who attended her reading sessions.
She said most of their marks improved because they began to understand the questions and realised they knew the answers.
“I never thought I could teach, but my passion drove me to it. I loved it then, and I love it now,” Mathapo said.
The programme includes weekly tutoring.
“I want these children to visit as many libraries as possible.
“I want them to be comfortable in these spaces, to enjoy discovering and gaining information,” she added.
Mathapo said that she would love to see the mindsets of young people in her community change to create opportunities for themselves.
