ELUKWATINI – A fun rythmic learning technique and unreserved dedication has earned Life Science teacher Ben Phiri recognition at the Gert Sibande District Academic Awards after breaking the record and becoming the first teacher in the history of his school to achieve 100 per cent pass rate in the subject.
Phiri a teacher at Highveld Secondary School at Elukwatini scooped the award for Best Life Science educator at the ceremony hosted by the department of Education on 23 January. His recognition came after all his 167 matric learners passed the subject with 28 getting distinctions (level 7) while the rest achieved level 4-6.
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“I was in disbelief when I found out that all passed, it was surreal,” he said.
Phiri said he knew when he joined the school fresh from University in 2019 that he had to invest extra work and time to change the academic record of the subject. “It was a great concern because all other subjects were doing well and achieving a 100 per cent pass rate except for Life Science. I wanted to change that,” he said.
Driven by ambition to turn things around, Phiri said it took him 5 years of patience, dedication and learning from his colleagues and learners to come up with the winning formula.
“I had to learn from colleagues how they did things to make them win great results in class. Because in order to succeed, one must always be open to learning. I also learned from the learners ways I could use to make them improve. I started creating abbreviations and songs for the chapters that needed memorizing. It worked wonders and made learning so much fun. I witnessed learners improving day by day,” said Phiri.
This has changed the history of grade 12 Life Science class in the school and led to Phiri being nicknamed after a biologist ‘Gregor Mendel, The Father of Modern Genetics’ by his learners.
“Many learners were struggling with the chapter on genetics but when they joined my class they started improving drastically and as a result, they gave me the nickname,” he laughed.
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Phiri said he wanted to do for other children what his Life Science high school teacher Johannes Nkosi from Chief Funwako High School in Barberton did for him as a learner.
“That man inspired me so much and has shaped me into the man and teacher that I am today. I was struggling with the subject until he arrived at the school and everything changed for better. That fueled me to pursue the subject at tertiary level and to give other children the chance that he teacher gave me. To learn and excel in Life Science,” he said.
It was not only fun and singing that made it all possible. Phiri revealed that it required a lot of patience, weekly tests, extra classes and one on one sessions with the struggling learners.
“On some occasions we would cross night with learners especially those who required extra attention. It was not easy but I am happy with what we have achieved and the support we received from the school,” he added.
Now that Phiri has broken the record, he said he plans to keep the trend and aims for 35 distinctions this year.
“There’s still more for me to learn from my colleagues and the learners because I always thrive to improve and produce the best results,” concluded Phiri.
