Excellence in teaching rewarded
HAVING mastered various occupations over the years, Richards Bay High School stalwart Ria Enslin could not resist returning to her first love and favourite profession - teaching.
Although she was out of the teaching sphere for 16 years, when the opportunity arose three years ago she smoothly settled back into the classroom and boasted a full record pass rate for all her Grade 10 to 12 Accounting learners at the end of every year.
In the 2018 National Senior Certificate examinations, she obtained a 100% pass rate and was the educator who achieved the most distinctions in one class.
She was acknowledged for her achievements during the recent Department of Education’s Imfolozi Circuit Management Centre annual awards, where she received a special appreciation accolade.
Enslin said that despite taking a break from teaching for many years, the environment and children were still the same but the family dynamics had changed.
‘I am a firm believer in educating my learners to take responsibility for their actions, in order to cope with life after school and am still ‘old school’ in my way of teaching: discipline and mutual respect.
‘It is important as teachers to keep up with the changes in technology and to incorporate it in your methodology of teaching; while we do not have the luxury of smart boards at school, we would greatly appreciate a sponsorship of these resources to add to the classroom experience.’
Earlier this year she was chosen by a company based in the Netherlands and owned by an ex learner of Richards Bay High School Johan Oldenburg, as one of the teachers to attend their bursary programmes’ European study tour in December.
‘The highlight of this tour is that seven of my current grade 12 learners are also joining the experience and this is such a fantastic way to end my teaching year for 2019.
Having been a product of Richards Bay High, Enslin completed her tertiary studies in the early eighties, returned to the school as a first year teacher and met her husband to whom she remains happily married after 32 years.
She hails from a family of academics with all four sisters qualifying as teachers, receiving the blessing from their mother who was a teacher for over 50 years.
For her, teaching is a brilliant career for a person who wants to have the best of both worlds - being a wife, mother and a career woman.
When she moved to the North West Province, Enslin entered the mining industry as a training manager and gained experience in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a human resources advisor for an international mining company.
‘My current goals are to maintain my 100% pass rate in Accounting, increase the distinctions in my matric classes, keep on giving my learners sound advice regarding their career choices and offering basic Human Resources advice in preparing for interviews and writing the best CV to get a job.’
In her spare time she enjoys playing golf, visiting game reserves and taking photos.