“Give Kids a Break”: Teacher Finds Empty Classroom After Learners Agree to Extra Lessons, SA Divided

• A Grade 12 teacher rocked up to an empty class after agreeing to help her learners with extra lessons during the school holidays
• The disappointed woman took a video, which she shared on TikTok, sparking many opinions about the situation
• Social media users were divided, with some feeling that learners deserved a break and calling for teachers not to overload them with information, while others said the learners would regret their decision
• Briefly News spoke with Lathitha May, a first-year university student who matriculated in 2024 about Grade 12 extra classes

After the impressive 2024 matric results, teachers and learners are under immense pressure not to drop the ball. A local teacher sacrificed her school holiday break to help her learners with extra studies, but her gesture was met with indifference.

The teacher, TikTok user @thobilemthembu19, shared a clip showing an empty classroom on the video streaming platform, which attracted many comments from social media users with mixed views.

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The teacher shows up to an empty class

The clip shows @thobilemthembu19 entering her Grade 12 classroom and realising there isn't a single learner inside, despite her taking the time to help them with their work. Disappointed, she walks in disbelief, recording the empty class. She captioned her post to share the details.

Watch the TikTok video below:

Grade 12 extra lessons

We at Briefly News spoke with Lathitha, a first-year university student who matriculated in 2024. We asked her if she attended extra classes during the holiday breaks and if she found them helpful. She said:

"Yes, I did! I attended those classes and they actually helped a lot, hey. The teachers were very patient and explained things properly and we had more time to ask questions without pressure. They really boosted my confidence for the finals."

We asked her if she felt the lessons were too much or worth it. Lathitha responded:

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"It was definitely worth it. I won't lie waking up early during the holiday was a bit rough, but it paid off big time. The grind was real, but so were the results.

The team asked what would the first year say to matriculants skipping extra lessons.

"They must not sleep on those classes. Teachers give up their own rest time to help us out, so it's an honour to get that support. Trust me, they'll thank themselves later when things start making sense.

Mzansi reacts to the empty classroom

The clip attracted 320K views, 39K likes, and over 1.4K comments from social media users who shared mixed opinions. Many felt that learners needed a break from studies, noting they spent long hours at school, and attending weekend classes and holiday lessons was too much.

Some understood the need for extra lessons, saying that the learners would regret not attending, as the teacher was merely offering her help. Others felt there needed to be a balance between social life and academics.

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User @thandekadube61 said:

"The local schools really need to come up with a different strategy for syllabus coverage—it’s too much for these kids. Morning classes, weekends, and holidays? Ai, ngeke (no)."

User @Thandi_Bianca commented:

"Give kids a break, bathong. They are tired, hle 😩."

User @Stix shared:

"I always wonder why our children have to attend from 06:00- 18:00 drng the wk and thy are also expected to attend on weekends and holidays but when the results come out white schools have better results."

User @Stebo added:

"Just a reminder, these are teachers offering their time for free generaly, when do they rest? Pupils must go to school."

User @Se Ra Ni said:

"Nah we never attended school like this but we passed. This is abuse. It’s too much now, Yoh."

User@user9678571 shared:

"They have to rest. Go to the mall, see their friends and unwind. They’re human and they’ll study on their own at home."

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3 Briefly News articles about teachers

• A humorous lady shared that she was ready to quit her teaching career for a job as a cleaner in parliament after learning that they earn R10K more than her.
• A high school teacher was in tears after her former learner gifted her with the portrait of her late father for her birthday.
• A local woman teaching in South Korea was ready to quit her job two weeks after starting due to being unhappy with their conditions and salary difference.

Source: Briefly News