Application for the Writers Course 2013

As an educator with over 15 years of experience both in the UK and South Africa , I have worked in high schools , primary schools and co-ed schools I now find myself working in the FET sector, teaching a new subject, which I am thoroughly enjoying and its allowing me to make an impact in my students lives.
Writing was never something, I thought I could do until last year when I was invited by an IT company to write blog posts on their site. Initially I wrote about my passions, my likes and my life and pretty soon became a regular contributor. A few months later I decided to start my own blog (http://www.spicegoddess.wordpress.com). My blog has over a thousand followers and I have written eighty plus posts and have done several posts as a guest blogger for other Bloggers. This then made me realise that I had a passion for writing and expressing my thoughts and sharing the world as I see it through my eyes. My friends, colleagues and family are amazed with my new hobby and my writing. The most common feedback I get is “well, you are a bookworm so it was bound to happen that writing would enter your blood”.
Last week I was asked by the Head of English at my college to teach her Level 2 English Lecturers about blogging as it was a section in the syllabus and no one had a clue. I was pretty surprised and honoured to have the chance to share my passion with my colleagues most of whom didn’t know I was a writer. I have now been asked our by campus training manager to put together a presentation for staff at all eight of our colleges on Blogging. So what started as a hobby has become a commodity I can trade in .As I walk through campus , I am often stopped by students who ask me about my blog and if I can help them . I feel honoured to be seen by many like a “Blog Guru”.
The college I work at is situated near the Lamontville Township area where most of our students are Black, the college runs two programmes; one for students with a matric pass and another for students without. Our college has high enrolment numbers as we offer our learners bursaries. These students are from disadvantaged backgrounds but have an undeniable thirst for knowledge. The courses that we offer are skills based and we offer in each programme English, Maths Literacy and Life Orientation with a computer element. The greatest challenge that affects our students is Language as for many English is a second and sometimes a third language.
Our classrooms are basic rooms with no charts or displays the learning environment is not one that encourages the student to learn. Students only have access to computers in their lesson time which is two hours a week, for many they have never used a computer before.
I have been at the college since 2011 and have tried various strategies to encourage my students to read and write better some of them include:
• Bringing old newspapers into class to encourage them to read in English as most only have access to Zulu papers.
• Students are encouraged to bring dictionaries to lessons.
• I also write keywords on the board at start of the lesson.
• In EBM (Entrepreneurship and Business management) students are required to write a Business plan. To aide students I supplied them with writing frames and examples of work.
I would love the opportunity to be chosen as part of this amazing programme for several reasons, some of which include improving my personal writing skills but most importantly being able to give my students the confidence and skills to become better speakers and writers of English. I firmly believe we all have a story within us that needs to be told and what better way than to teach my students the art of writing.
“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart – William Wordsworth ”