POP quiz: what’s the difference between rap music and teaching?
If you asked Barry van Neel this question, his answer would be that there’s none. In his class room the two go together hand in glove – and his unorthodox tools have helped him unlock the mystery of maths for many a learner.
“A rapper is a teacher,” Barry says. “Rappers and teachers both use words to teach, or to educate, or to instil knowledge. Both convey a message with a goal that’s greater than just the message itself – whether you’re in front of a classroom or an audience.”
Barry is head of the maths department at Ceres Secondary School in the Western Cape and the youngest member of the school’s management team.
His dream is to launch a mathematics academy in the Winelands town, “because our schools are places where dreams die, especially if reading and comprehension of schoolwork starts too late”.
Barry (33) knows what he’s talking about.
When he was a pupil at Witzenberg Primary School in nearby Wolseley, he made it all the way to Grade 4 without being able to read.
He recalls that when he was in Grade 2, his late father, Bazil, refused to allow him to attend the remedial class and he was simply pushed through to the next grade, where he was mocked by his class mates “for being stupid”.
It didn’t take long for the insults to stick and Barry began to believe they were true.
“I know what it feels like not to under stand,” he says. “I know what it’s like to be talked to without being seen.”
He recalls a time in Grade 1 when he was made to stand at his teacher’s desk and read from a book.
Denne historien er fra 19 January 2023-utgaven av YOU South Africa.
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Denne historien er fra 19 January 2023-utgaven av YOU South Africa.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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