Future teacher, Dimakatso Skabata, attends Sasolburg orientation
Dimakatso Skabata attended the tutor’s orientation day at the Boitjhorisong Resource Centre.
Dimakatso Skabata is an intern with a full dance card! On the work side, this 29-year-old splits her time between Kopanelang Thuto Primary, where she tutors six Grade 1 classes and a single Grade 2 class. She also helps out at Taaibos Primary, where she’s works with four Grade 1 classes. Maki, as her friends know her, has participated since 2017 in the programme that runs in Zamdela. She gave birth to her second child in May 2020 and she’s determined to reach her dream of becoming a primary school teacher through a B Ed in Foundation Phase at UNISA.
Maki puts her personal motto into practice every day: “Always watch your thoughts because they will become your actions!” Her goal is to become an excellent teacher and she wastes no opportunity to improve her chances. She was the first tutor to reflect on the input she received from the JumpStart team at the Boitjhorisong Resource Centre on 1 February. The JumpStart programme which is funded by Sasol’s Corporate Social Investment commitment.
A fruitful day
The induction was very fruitful for developing the Sasolburg team of interns. I like how our management team engages with us. They presented their roles and responsibilities to the interns, so we better understand our own roles. Mr Jabu Thomo and Miss Daniella Lekgau explained to us the importance of the workbooks and how to manage the learners through the Covid pandemic period. They emphasised that the most important this is that learners should be able to understand the NumberSense workbook. A good performance means that they understand what they do and this results in them enjoying the workbooks. They explained how we should introduce NumberSense to learners and parents on digital platforms.
Professionalism and personal development
Miss Zintle Makumsa and Ms Liesl Jobson encouraged us to be professional as we interact with young children in our classes. I was excited about the practical examples we did, for example writing with our non-dominant hand! Most importantly, Ms Liesl encouraged us to read and write, to educate ourselves by doing internet research.
Getting to grips with JumpTrak
Miss Nobantu Mshumpela is our technical support at all times! She explained how to use the JumpTrak app to capture learners’ marks and verify their performance. It was interesting to learn how to use the app to see if the data corresponded. We learned step by step to verify whether there’s an internet error or a bad signal when syncing the data.
Code of conduct explained
Lastly, Ms Leizel Frances went through the policy and code of conduct. It was great to discuss the policy with her. Now we have a common understanding of what is expected of us. Most importantly, the discussion of our dress code and the need to be professional at all times, as well as presenting ourselves through good behaviour, and showing maturity.
Dimakatso Skabata values teamwork
In conclusion, the orientation was a great experience, especially meeting our management team. We used the day to build better communication skills with others. Thank you, Team JumpStart for supporting me in this important part of my life!
Participate in the future of South Africa’s education
JumpStart is now ready to scale and seeks funding support to remedy the mathematics crisis at foundation phase in South African schools. Your financial support will enable us to serve more schools in Sasolburg and in other communities in crisis now!
Please email Betty Oliphant to find out how you can participate meaningfully in the future of South Africa’s education.