Creative writing workshop in Atteridgeville sharpens up teachers’ skills

South African born writer and now US Fulbright scholar Dr Glen Retief presents a creative writing workshop for local teachers at the David Hellen Peta Secondary School in Saulsville. Picture: Jacques Naude/African News Agency (ANA)

South African born writer and now US Fulbright scholar Dr Glen Retief presents a creative writing workshop for local teachers at the David Hellen Peta Secondary School in Saulsville. Picture: Jacques Naude/African News Agency (ANA)

Published Oct 11, 2021

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NOKWANDA NCWANE

To mark World Teachers’ Day and to sharpen teachers’ creative writing skills, the US Embassy hosted a workshop at the David Hellen Peta Secondary School in Atteridgeville.

World Teachers’ Day is commemorated worldwide on October 5 and the week that follows.

It aims to create increased awareness and celebrate the hard work of all educators, including teachers, researchers and professors.

The workshop included English language department heads from schools around Atteridgeville, and scholars.

It was hosted by Dr Glen Retief, a lecturer at the Susquehanna University in the US, and whose mission in South Africa is to help address problems in the education system, particularly with pupils’ writing skills.

Retief said his goal was to show teachers how they can be more effective in assisting their pupils to improve their writing.

Liza Smith, from the US Embassy, said the workshop sought to expand the creative writing and teaching skill-set for language teachers from the Atteridgeville area.

Capacity building for teachers at both secondary and tertiary level were important to the mission, Smith said.

“It is wonderful to see South African teachers return from their exchange programme in the US and work with the embassy to transfer skills learnt during their exchange with teachers locally,” she said.

English teacher Mandisa Ndaba said she would love to see children from township schools improve their writing skills because even university/bursary applications required writing.

“If English teachers are equipped then learners and the whole nation will be equipped as well,” Ndaba said.

Ndaba added that they planned to move from Atteridgeville to other townships in Pretoria.

Principal Tlhabana Nkwe said the workshop would boost the confidence of teachers when they returned to classrooms, thus benefiting the pupils.

Pretoria News