This was my first experience with Teachers Across Borders – Southern Africa. The experience was not only rewarding to me professionally but personally. The opportunity to learn with colleagues in East London and Bloemfontein gave me a deeper understanding in regards to what devotion to the profession really means. Some of my colleagues in Southern Africa traveled literally hours to participate in science professional development during their very limited winter break time. These educators are dedicated to making their learners experiences the best they can be and were hungry for ideas and activities to make the learning and the CAPS Curriculum more relevant and meaningful to the learners.

Our workshops, while based on the CAPS and what our colleagues and their administrators had requested, presented materials and concepts in ways that were often unfamiliar to those attending. Our colleagues are very well versed in the theory and have an amazing ability to solve algorithmic problems, but many were unaccustomed to doing practical hands-on and minds-on activities, which made our very full days intensive, challenging, and yes, even fun. It was amazing to watch my colleagues build their self-confidence. They really stepped-up and shared with their tablemates and in many instances lead whole group discussions as we all learned the materials together.

For me, the experience forced me to step down from my ivory tower of academia. In the first week, I learned to step back and let my colleagues lead the discussions and I forced myself to cover less content in an effort to allow them to “discover” the materials in ways that were most beneficial to them and their learners. My only regret is that I was unable to participate in the final week of the program after the team left Bloemfontein.