”Thank you so much for the tutorials,

l managed to rise from level 1 (25%)

and in the finals l got level 4 (58%)”

- Makanaka Joyleen Mawere

The final year of high school is usually a daunting one. But doing so in the presence of challenges and in turn improving, academically, is a great feat!

A former student of Silver Oaks Secondary School, based in Soweto, shares her highly motivating story in this interview, between her (Makanaka) and the founder of Elevate Tutorial Services (Kimberly).

K: You started your FET phase (grade 10) in 2020, a year that was filled with so many uncertainties caused by the pandemic. What other challenges did you face in this year?

The passing away of my mom really broke me l even felt like giving up because my mom was like the main breadwinner. We started experiencing shortages of food in the house, sometimes l would not even get a pen to go write with at school because my dad had a lot to deal with, so life really changed.

K: I’m really sorry to hear that. How did these challenges affect your learning experience?

M: I couldn’t concentrate at school because when l got at school all l thought about was what l was going to eat, how we were going to survive and mostly as a big sis to my lil bro who was only 1 year old in 2020, l always used to worry about him at school because we used to leave him in the hands of a maid and as we all know not all mothers take good care of children who are not theirs, so I was always worried about his wellbeing.

K: What were your biggest fears as you started your final year of high school?

M: My biggest fear was failing because l experienced a lot in 2022, which made me think l am a failure and l would never make it in life.

K: Please let us in on some of your bad experiences from 2022

M: I did not have enough stationery, which led to me not doing well academically. At home things were tough. There came a time that l would go back to my grade 8 books, which were not finished l would tear up used pages and use that book to write my grade 12 notes, but the books were still not enough so it was the greatest challenge of them all.

“Getting a private tutor towards the end of my Matric year really helped.”

- Makanaka Joyleen Mawere

K: How did your family assist in making it a less weighty year for you?

M: When my mother passed away the only thing in my mind was giving up on school, getting married to a South African boy, and maybe benefit from grant money but my family supported me and they made me see that giving up and getting married was nothing but a sign of foolishness so to support me they got me private tutors for subjects that l was struggling with the most despite not having money in the house.

K: How did getting a private online tutor for Maths Literacy & Biology, towards the end of your Matric year, help you?

M: Getting a private online tutor towards the end of my Matric year really helped. I am a person who was really focused during my last year at school but l was that person who understood things if they are explained 2 or 3 times meaning even if a teacher would teach me l would only get 20% of what was taught in class, so l needed extra attention. So I benefited from getting an online tutor who l could tell about the concepts I didn’t understand and the tutor would repeat until l get it. As a person who understands things after being taught for a long period of time it really helped me.

K: Some people don’t find online tutorials to be effective, how did you make it work for you?

M: To be honest l am one of the people who thought that online tutorials are no help to me at all and they are just a waste of money and your special relaxing time because l thought online tutorials are just like studying on your own. All I needed to do was change my mindset. l established a productive learning environment, set a schedule for completion and reviewing assignments, found ways to stay motivated, imagined myself on a path towards mastering the subject, and tried to increase my interest in the work.

K: Any study tips for Mathematical Literacy that you’d like to share?

1. Know the techniques, methods and formulae
2. Make friends with maths
3. Do past papers
4. Know the breakdown
5. Take one-on-one tutorials
6. Keep up with syllabus
7. Practice, Practice and Practice

“Your challenges only make you stronger each and every day!”

- Makanaka Joyleen Mawere

K: What doors have your academic achievements opened for you?

M: Doors have been opened for me to study law or business management. I chose these two only because l am a person who has always believed in justice and l also loves helping people in need and these two things will also help me in looking after my lil bro.

K: What message would you like to leave behind for the Matric class of 2023?

M: Your marks merely reflect your knowledge, but not your talent. Push your limits and think beyond your syllabus then you can achieve every goal of your life. Don’t give up on life regardless of what you face. Your challenges only make you stronger each and every day!