Gugu Nkabinde

Due to my outstanding performance in university I was hired by the institution under the programme called academic peer mentors where I was allocated 30 students that I was responsible for helping with ENGV(English) module. My job description included and not limited to conducting lessons with them targeting topics that they found challenging, monitor their progress and give them the support that they need academically. At the end of the academic year all the students I mentored passed the module and 26 of them got more than 70%

As a result of performing outstandingly well on the academic peer mentor programme, the institution hand picked me to be part of the lecturer assistant. This role introduced me to more responsibilities where I acquired new skills which included marking digitally using the university online platform, recoding the marks digitally, creating interesting and engaging study materials using Canva and PowerPoint as well as conducting virtual lessons using zoom, one room, Microsoft teams and GoToMeetings.

Working at a big school such as F.H Odendaal came with new challenges. I thought six classes English Home Language. Lessons included reading, writing and speaking. I got introduced to their digital platforms that they used to record marks, upload study materials as well as communicate with the parents. A month later I started participating in extracurricular activities where I worked alongside soccer coaches which enabled me to get a lot of knowledge about the sport and finally fall in love with soccer. I started attending every practice, match and made strong and meaningful connections with the team(students).

The experience included but not limited to conducting impactful, engaging and fun lessons. marking as well as recoding marks on digital platforms, writing lesson plans every week as well as being involved in the programmes the school has such as debate. Teaching two subjects was really challenging but through this experience my work ethic sky rocketed, I became more organised which helped a lot to manage the work load and I had an amazing team to lean on and made great friendships in my work environment.

I finally made a bold move to move and go teach abroad. The experience included teaching English as a foreign language which required me to change my teaching methods altogether and learn new teaching methods and strategies. Being part of the digital platforms where as a teacher I had to communicate with the parents daily, share clips of my lessons, study materials as well as concerns if I have any. I learnt how to navigate their complicated digital platforms to create study materials, upload clips of the lessons, mark the student's work, record marks as well as make reports for the parents. It was a very challenging working environment since everything was new but through the experience I grew a lot as a professional. By the end of the academic year my class was on top 5 (performance)which made me extremely proud.