SA Teacher and Tutor Shares Her Love for Education: “I Am Changing People’s Lives and View of the World”
- Briefly News recently had a chat with an academic and tutor, Unathi Ntshobo who is changing people’s lives through the power of knowledge
- The 29-year-old runs her own tutoring business which specialises in research modules assistance and virtual and in-person tutorial classes for tertiary students
- The Master’s student believes that a person’s biggest asset is their brain and how they choose to see things in the world and life
PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Briefly News on your News Feed!
Passionate about education and imparting knowledge is teacher and tutor, Unathi Ntshobo who is changing people’s lives by not only simplifying learning methods but also helping them get a step closure to their professional dreams.
The qualified educator who hails from Qumbu in the Eastern Cape pursued the opportunity to help students who face challenges in their tertiary studies. Speaking to Briefly News the 29-year-old shared that it wasn’t long until she started a small tutoring business in July 2019.
Source: UGC
How it all started
Unathi assists hundreds of students in a single academic year. When asked about the inspiration behind starting the business, the young woman said after completing her honours degree, she struggled to find employment in education at that time.
PAY ATTENTION: Never miss breaking news – join Briefly News' Telegram channel!
“I saw an opportunity to start a business and also assist people. I am also qualified to teach Business Studies and EMS at FET Phase.
“I created a WhatsApp group for a research module in Bachelor of Education Honours at UNISA. I asked people to pay me R350 to be added to the group and get assistance. At the end of the year, students asked me to host face-to-face classes to help them prepare for exams. I charged R100 per student for 4 hours,” said Unathi.
Where she is now
Fast forward to 2022 she now hosts online classes using Microsoft Teams and Zoom online platforms.
"I also conduct face-to-face sessions in Durban where I hire a venue in one of the colleges in town,” she said, adding that she has plans to travel to other cities this year for more in-person sessions.
When she isn’t helping other students, the Master’s in Education student specialises in teacher development studies (full research) at the University of Kwazulu-Natal. The education enthusiast is also passionate about learning about African history and indigenous knowledge.
“I love educating myself outside formal settings as I am also a traditional healer.”
Taking the good with the bad
She disclosed that she has faced several challenges as a businesswoman such as bullying and criticism from female students while trying to market her services.
“Other challenges included tutoring people on credit after telling me their sad stories about finances, doing everything by myself, and not getting an assistant, I ended up neglecting personal life. If I could go back and do things differently, I would apply principle to everyone, not put feelings into business. I am also planning to hire assistant tutors and an admin person.”
Read also
Mzansi applauds teacher’s unique approach to helping a child struggling with maths homework
When asked what she loves most about what she does, Unathi said it had to be doing something that she loves and getting paid for it. She enjoys learning new topics daily and has always wanted to be a businesswoman.
“I am also changing people’s lives, their view about the world and putting smiles on their faces.”
Proud achievements
Some of her proudest achievements include:
“One of my students receiving an excellence award for the Best Honours degree at UNISA in the college of education, a student being selected for a Master’s program that had only two spaces available and all my students getting passing a research module with less than 30 who did not get a distinction out of more than 100 people. I also got fully booked for 2022 Master's individual assistance in July 2021.”
The teacher’s sound advice
Unathi shares amazing testimonies and advice on her Facebook page, Unathy24 Research Tutorials.
Her advice to new tertiary students is to understand that no module is too difficult.
“Don’t listen to anyone who tells you otherwise. Use this opportunity wisely, don’t study to pass but to understand so that you can apply that knowledge and pass it on to others. New students, have fun but don’t forget who are, where you are from and the main goal of being at university. Start being serious from day one, don’t wait until exams to start studying.
“My biggest life lesson is that a person’s biggest asset is their brain and how they choose to see things. Most challenges are your path to opportunities and success”.
Mzansi applauds teacher’s unique approach to helping a child struggling with maths homework
Meanwhile Briefly News previously reported that when it comes to learning, the importance of great teachers can't be underestimated as they play a role in a child’s foundational learning and social development.
An inspiring example of a teacher dedicated to helping her learners through their learning difficulties is Bonnie (@yafavoriteaunty), who recently shared she handled a situation in which one of her learners was struggling with maths.
Taking to Twitter without revealing the child’s identity, Bonnie shared a photo of a homework page where one of her ‘babies’, as she affectionately calls them, didn’t do his work. The young boy made a note on his homework page indicating that he found division hard.
Source: Briefly News
