POLOKWANE – Teachers who teach at the winter school held by Taxila Secondary School say the extra classes are not just beneficial to the learners but also to the teachers.
The winter school is open for all gr. 11 and gr. 12 learners from Polokwane and surrounding areas, with the learners having to pay a small fee. The classes are also presented by teachers from different schools in and around Polokwane.
All subjects, except for languages, are offered at the winter school and the classes are Monday to Friday from 08:00 until 15:00.
Aubrey Lephalala , a teacher at Taxila and winter school coordinator, said the purpose of the winter school was to help learners with work they did not understand in class and also to help them prepare for their examinations so that they can do as well as possible. Different study methods will also be taught to guide learners.
“We hope that with the help the learners get with the winter school, they will get better marks and with good results they will have a wider selection in career opportunities to choose from when they continue their studies after matriculating. The winter school is also there for teachers to develop themselves, as they must prepare well for these classes and they also learn from the learners,” Lephalala said.
Samuel Ramaboea, physical science teacher for gr. 12 at Taxila, says sacrificing his June holiday for winter school is worth every minute, because he gets the opportunity to help learners gear up for the examinations which are around the corner.
“I love seeing learners grow and excel in their work and it is my passion to help them so that they can do well and be successful. Because there are learners from other schools who also attend our winter school, it offers me the opportunity to improve my teaching methods and also learn through the learners questions the teaching methods of teachers from other school. So it is not just learners that grow during winter school, but us teachers as well,” Ramaboea said.
Taxila gr. 11 history teacher, Luis Pereira, agreed with Ramaboea that teacher also learn at the winter school.
“The learners keep us on our toes with their questions and problems that they want to solve, which they did not understand in class. I had a case where a learner asked me a question, which I also did not have the answer to and I had to go and do research in order to help the learner and that educates me to next time have the answer when a learner from our school need the answer to that question,” Pereira said.
Flora Leso, gr. 12 history teacher and deputy principal at Taxila, said the winter school also gave teachers an opportunity to compare standards of learning from other schools.
“It is also a nice ego upliftment, because the learners tell others what they learned from the teachers at Taxila Secondary School, the school of excellence,” Leso said.
