“If You Mess Up, You Are a Wasted Investment”: Teacher’s Pep Talk Sparks Debate

• A content creator shared a video of herself giving a motivational speech to young learners, where she warned them about becoming a wasted investment if they mess up
• The educator explained that her message was unplanned, claiming the Holy Spirit inspired her to deliver those specific words to the children during her presentation
• South Africans were divided in their opinions, with many criticizing her approach and suggesting more effective ways to communicate with young children

A video of a teacher's controversial pep talk to school children has sparked debate online after she referred to students who mess up as wasted investments.

Content creator @mantharetso, who regularly posts about makeup education, photography, styling, and wardrobe makeovers, shared the clip of herself addressing a group of young learners. In the video, she tells the children that their parents are toiling every day, and if they mess up, they become a wasted investment. She emphasized that she doesn't wish for any of the kids to become a wasted investment and advised them to be careful of the company they keep.

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The educator captioned her video with an explanation of how the message came to her:

"Though I am a professional public speaker, I always tune into what the Holy Spirit wants to say. This statement was not part of my speech rehearsal, it just came spontaneously and I had to say it. The atmosphere changed right away."

While the teacher seemingly intended to motivate the children to make good choices, many viewers argued that her approach and choice of words were inappropriate for young learners.

Watch the TikTok clip below.

Effective communication with children

Child development experts suggest that how we communicate with children significantly impacts how they receive and process information. Communication can take two forms: verbal, including tone, word choice, and dialect, and nonverbal, which includes facial expressions, eye contact, gestures.

Effective strategies include active listening, speaking clearly, using age-appropriate language, explaining feelings, and focusing on behavior rather than criticizing the child as a person. When addressing children, it's also important to get down to their eye level, use encouraging smiles, and avoid intimidating postures.

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Experts also recommend avoiding bribes, using noticing statements instead of generic praise, and leading by example. The most crucial aspect is approaching children with kindness and love to help them feel both safe and respected.

Mzansi reacts to teacher's approach

South Africans didn't hold back their opinions on the teacher's approach, with many suggesting better ways to communicate with young learners.

@aiwiththolang🇿🇦 questioned her choice of words:

"Wasted investment?? Such babies? Aowa guys, there's better language to make them feel both loved and learn key life lessons."

@Miss Tshwanelo 💕🇿🇦 advised against intimidating postures:

"If you're going to speak to kids, I'd say avoid gestures and postures of someone who's lecturing them. Become more child-friendly in your approach, otherwise they just see another adult rebuking them."

@Mimi Mokgothu pointed out the children's disengagement:

"The engagement with learners of this age group must be more interactive to keep them captivated. The learners' body language depicts a bored & uninterested audience."

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@Loader... shared strong feelings:

"I'll never send my child to this school, you can ask the kids later what she said, they won't know she forgot her mandate... Some of us, our children are not investments, we expect nothing back."

@Jaemii raised an important concern:

"If you mess up, you are a wasted investment? How do kids who hear this recover if they make a mistake though?"

More teacher stories

• Briefly News recently reported on students who pulled a daring prank on their teacher by pretending to faint one after another, causing the panicked educator to flee the classroom.
• A young teaching assistant gave South Africans a good chuckle after sharing a side-splitting clip of herself struggling to control a foundation phase class.
• An educator opened up about the harsh reality of struggling to make ends meet shortly after payday, striking a chord with many South Africans.

Source: Briefly News