About Me
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My dictum is: Knowledge is Power.
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I enjoy teaching and empowering people. I'm calm and patient and am able to relay information through a student-centred approach to teaching. I'm able to take a student from zero English to a proficient level at the student’s pace. I'm a good conversationalist and can engage advanced students in interesting conversations to improve their speaking and listening skills.
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I'm passionate about the English language, words, reading and writing. I have a deep respect for and am in awe of those amazing writers who whip up words to blend them into a spellbinding piece of writing.
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I have a lifetime affair with books.
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I like learning new languages and have dabbled in many. Cultures and peoples of the world intrigue me.
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I love animals and am astonished at nature’s intelligence and diversity of life.
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I have a particular fascination with felines of all shapes and sizes and permanently live with Feline Felix. My current companion is Lily, an elderly rescue tabby. She is completely deaf but chats non-stop when she isn’t sleeping.
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I enjoy cooking and pottering around in the kitchen. Homesteading and how things were done in the old days are of particular interest to me. I'm writing a recipe book but it's a long-term project requiring serious commitment (all that testing and tasting!).
Education
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Level 5 TEFL Certificate from The TEFL Academy—Teaching English as a Foreign Language.
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BA degree in English Literature at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
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American Field Scholarship—exchange student to the United States of America
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Senior High School Certificate with Matriculation Exemption
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Academic Honours awarded at end of High School career
Work Experience
I have experience in teaching across a broad spectrum of subjects:
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I managed my own business running the ﻣﺸﺮﺑﻴﺔ Mashrabiya Middle Eastern Dance School with structured classes and workshops. I wrote a handbook on the history and meaning of the dance and compiled an accompanying CD demonstrating various genres of Middle Eastern music. I taught various dance forms, including folkloric, rhythm and music. I educated students on the cultures, history and religion of the Middle East. I engaged in public speaking in order to educate people on the Middle East. I created and choreographed shows and studio concerts.
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I trained staff in the use of SAP—Systems, Applications and Products in Data Processing—at Plascon.
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I trained staff in the use of PERSAL—PERsonnel and SALary Software System—at the Western Cape Administration.
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I trained staff in personnel administration with the purpose of opening a satellite HR division in the Department of Environmental and Cultural Affairs.
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Because of my proficiency in English and my degree in English Literature, I have throughout my career—corporate and private—been requested to edit and proofread important documentation, as well as do translations from Afrikaans into English:
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While at Plascon, I contributed to the Plascon Spaces magazine under the auspices of Anne Roselt, mostly proof reading and editing.
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I have translated legal documentation for the law firm Blackburn and Basson from Afrikaans into English.
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I have edited a Sports Massage Manual written by Rina Herenius for the Cape Institute of Allied Health Studies.
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I have edited the Financial Policy guideline for Hope School.
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I have translated several pieces of historical literature from Dutch and Afrikaans into English for Professor Robert Shell of the University of the Western Cape. These translations were for his book Diaspora to Diorama: The old Slave Lodge in Cape Town.
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I have done translations of financial documentation for the brokerage firm PSG, Paarl, from Afrikaans into English.
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I have written content for Monica Boshoff, content writer and editor.
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I have written content for Rina Herenius’ website Sports and Remedial Massage.