By Doss Southey (OLH Tutor BA HED):
Simoné Geyser, a second year B Ed student studying online through the STADIO, has had to acquire effective time management skills in order to juggle a full academic schedule with a full-time job. This, she says, is essential if you are to avoid feeling constantly overwhelmed.
By drawing up an effective study plan, she aims to ensure that enough time is allocated to each subject, leaving some time for her personal and family needs. How ever, sticking to a study plan requires great self-discipline and she acknowledges that it easy to lapse into bad habits.
This is where the positive and supportive interactions at OLH help her to reflect, reassess and make the necessary adjustments so that she can regain control of her life.
Simoné’s career path might have taken a very different turn had the dreaded Corona Virus not played havoc with her plans. In March 2020, she flew off to America to take up an au pair position with a young family. No sooner had she arrived at her destination than a nationwide lockdown was enforced.
As a result, she was confined to the house 24/7 with a family she had only just met. Her job was to look after a two-month-old baby and a two-year-old toddler… for nine months!
On her eventual return to South Africa, and seemingly undeterred by this ordeal, Simoné immediately registered for a B Ed degree with STADIO in 2021. She is now in her second year.
She enjoys studying online as this enables her to work full-time at a pre-primary school which in turn helps pay her STADIO fees. However, like so many of the students at the Hub, she did not anticipate that she would be required to read so extensively. Finding the time and energy to sit down with her books after a long day (07h00 to 17h30) is still a challenge; the word “commitment” has taken on a whole new meaning.
The Hub (OLH) plays an invaluable role in keeping her on task and on track. The tutors not only assist students to prepare and plan for their written assignments and teach skills to improve academic performance, they also keep in regular contact providing positive feedback and encouragement.
In addition to the tutors, the students, who, having worked together in tutorials, have formed close-knit groups where they share ideas and coping strategies and lift each other’s spirits when times are tough.
Simoné chose to study Foundation Phase teaching because she feels that this is the age where she can have the greatest impact on a child’s holistic development.
She has infinite patience and is determined to provide a calm, safe and engaged classroom environment for her learners. She actually enjoys spending time, thought and effort in planning and crafting fun but meaningful lessons.
In fact, her face lights up when she reveals that, that very evening (and probably well into the night), she will be busy constructing the spools needed for a French Knitting activity she has planned for her learners. Clearly, Simoné’s creativity and enthusiasm knows no bounds.