Stepping Beyond the Classroom

In 2018, as my daughter entered her matric year, I began my own academic milestone — pursuing my Honours degree in Education, all while teaching a class of 37 energetic learners.

 

By 2019, Honours completed, I took a pivotal step, transitioning from the Foundation Phase classroom to the lecture halls of a private tertiary institution.

 

There, I had the privilege of mentoring and teaching the next generation of educators — or as I affectionately called them, my colleagues in training.

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What followed was a deeply enriching chapter of shared learning. I brought my practical classroom experience into academic spaces, weaving stories and strategies into theory-heavy modules.  In return, I was energised by their questions, reflections, and evolving confidence. It was a dynamic and reciprocal journey of growth.

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The Missing Middle​

However, the longer I remained in higher education, the more a pressing concern began to surface:
a growing disconnect between what students were taught and what they truly needed to succeed in real classrooms.

Our student teachers could articulate educational theory with ease — referencing Piaget, Vygotsky, and Bronfenbrenner with confidence. Yet, when faced with the practical demands of 35 learners, a schedule, and a blank whiteboard, many felt overwhelmed.

Not because they lacked ability — but because the bridge between theory and practice hadn’t been built.

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Creating the Bridge

This realisation became the catalyst for my next step, the founding of TFS – Teachers’ Finishing School — a space designed to support and empower newly qualified teachers, and final-year BEd students as they cross the bridge from theory to confident, practice-ready teaching.

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Still Becoming

My journey has continued to gain momentum over the past three years as I have pursued a Master’s degree in the Psychology of Education.  My research explores how aligning 21st-century thinking skills with dramatic play integration can enhance teaching and learning in the Grade 3 curriculum.  Alongside this academic pursuit, I have been building TFS — Teachers’ Finishing School — a deeply rewarding and dynamic process that reaffirms my belief that teaching is not just a profession, but a journey of self-realisation and lifelong learning.

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