Teacher from Standerton wins award for excellence
Netty Sithole from Vaalrivierskool in Standerton received the Mpumalanga award for excellence in special needs teaching.
A teacher who displayed sturdiness and the right to seek well-being was nominated by her colleagues as the example of an educator who goes the extra mile to cultivate the art of learning in special needs training.
Netty Sithole from Vaalrivierskool in Standerton won the Mpumalanga award for excellence in special needs teaching.
She was among the multiple finalists selected in Mpumalanga to scoop the prestigious teacher awards.
Speaking to Standerton Advertiser, Sithole said she was proud to win the award, which she denied competing for several times.
“I declined to enter the awards until the deputy principal expressed the importance of entering the national teacher award.”
Sithole teaches learners with mild intellectual disability who struggle to read, write and calculate.
“I specialise in learner support. I can identify a student who struggles and then collaborate with other teachers in reaching a certain goal.”
She said the school’s code of conduct is to have classroom rules, to train learners that once they enter the classroom, they have to be greeted, put their bags under the table and sit down. Sithole added she works with the school’s occupational therapist, forming a formidable team.
“We treat each child individually with a positive approach and drive. We try to create an environment where we can harness the strengths and weaknesses of each learner and work on the two to accomplish a successful outcome.”
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Sithole has also worked with juvenile delinquents who cannot cope with being in society and have low self-esteem. This teacher said being kind and reaching positive goals in her learners is not new to her.
“I have been in teaching since 1990, so I know how to deal with different characteristics in a child. I see it as a calling rather than a job. I was not interested in winning awards. However, if your co-workers see and value your craft, you have to respect that.”
She further added she would not be where she was if she did not have the support from the school’s principal, Marius Janse van Rensburg.
“I work with great minds and excellent leadership, which should be praised. Parents and the community of Standerton entrusted me to spark a bright light in their children’s minds. A child’s mind is a beautiful thing. It is more like clay, it can be moulded and shaped to whatever you aspire it to be.”
Asking how her learners felt about her winning the award, she said, laughing, once she showed them the award, every learner wanted to touch it.
“It must be an example to them that anything you want, can be achieved if you put your effort into it. I want this award to inspire them to reach for greatness,” she said.
