Enjoying School and Is Confident Again

*Top 10 Winner – Learner of the Year 2021*

Oratile was born prematurely when I was eight months pregnant. She was born because of complications, which caused Oratile to stay in hospital for eight weeks.

Oratile developed like any other child. She was able to sit properly at four months and started crawling at six months. She started walking with support at eight months. At ten months, she was running. She was a healthy, happy baby.

She went to crèche and then started her grade R at the age of six. While Oratile was in Grade R, she began to have difficulties with concentration, but the teacher assumed that she was still young, so this should not be a worry. She went to Grade 1 at the same school, but the problem grew bigger. She was making careless mistakes, was unable to concentrate, the workload was getting too much for her, and she was talking to herself at times. The Grade 1 teacher was very concerned that she couldn’t stand still and was distracted easily by everything she saw around her.

The teacher explained that her concentration was very poor. We acted immediately when the school suggested she sees a speech therapist, occupational therapist, and educational psychologist. Oratile looked like she was getting better and getting the hang of things.

She passed and then went to Grade 2. And then everything fell apart.

Oratile could not concentrate at all; she was behind with schoolwork. We worked until late (around 00:00 am), myself and her trying to get her to concentrate and do homework. School was a nightmare for her. She did not enjoy anything. She cried a lot of the time, asking me: “Mommy, what is wrong? I don’t understand this!” When you asked her to read, she was crying and did not understand why she should punish herself like that. She lost confidence.

The educational psychologist saw that Oratile’s needs were not met in a mainstream school. She said Oratile needs remedial intervention since she had severe concentration problems. Since the pace of mainstream was too fast for her, she needed a programme that would cater to her needs and build a proper foundation. She needed a small class where she would receive the attention required to help her.

The occupational therapist was adamant that if Oratile kept at her sessions, she would be able to reverse everything. She explained that, in the meantime, the child would be frustrated and not enjoy school. We started looking for space for Oratile at several schools where we took her for assessments. The feedback was either that her IQ level is too low, while others said that her IQ level is too high to meet their admission requirements. Oratile was in the middle — she needed a safe space that could cater to her needs specifically.

Mareli, the previous owner of Edublox Pretoria North, was going to different schools to present how Edublox works and how they are helping kids. Luckily she went to Oratile’s school and I was called by the principal. She gave me Mareli’s details.

I went home and spoke to Daddy, and I contacted Mareli. She explained how Edublox works and asked if she could assess Oratile. I took Oratile for an assessment.

After the assessment, Mareli said that she could take Oratile in. I was thrilled. Oratile started at Edublox immediately after the Easter holidays in 2017.

Oratile’s journey at Edublox has been a joy to us. She began to show an interest in books and started to read, and I could see that she was beginning to enjoy school again. The educational psychologist had said we should keep Oratile in the Edublox EASY programme for two years, but I decided to keep her for longer so that her foundation would be built properly.

Currently, Oratile’s progress is wonderful. She is doing great, can concentrate on her schoolwork, and went from obtaining 23% to 90%. She is doing astoundingly well.

What makes me happiest is that Oratile can read a story, understand it and answer the questions. That tells me that her concentration is fine, that she is enjoying school, and is confident again. Edublox has channeled her mind to know that she must study. She studies alone, can concentrate without being distracted, and comes to me only when she needs help with difficult tasks.

Oratile is confident, a strong girl with a strong personality. She is doing great in content subjects (even maths). Previously she was struggling with maths, but currently, she even gets 75%. Her best subjects are History, Afrikaans, and Natural Science.

I am excited, and I would like to thank all the Edublox tutors who made an impact on Oratile’s progress since she joined Edublox in mid-2017 till today in 2021.

Oratile has overcome a lot. When the pandemic started, I was amazed when she was able to have one-on-one sessions with her teachers via video calls.

Edublox has done marvellously in 2020 during lockdown. Oratile was working daily, and all her tutors were there to ensure that she gets the support she needs via voice calls, video calls, and voice notes. I applaud Edublox for work done wonderfully on my daughter. I say thank you.

A happy, proud mother
Mapule Msiza