Penguin Tutoring Blog

Very early on a cold and moist autumn morning, a taxi left the Johannesburg CBD. On board was a team of hand picked Penguin tutors, specialists in Maths and Science. Their destination was the HB Nyathi school in Daveyton, Ekurhuleni.

The Penguin Tutoring Co, with backing from the RGM School of Excellence, has embarked on a Saturday school project to assist 100 Grade 10 learners improve their grasp and understanding of Maths and Physical Science. The ultimate goal is to maintain the partnership with these learners until Grade 12, constantly improving their marks and giving them the opportunity to apply to a tertiary institution, obtain a degree and follow their dreams.

The learners at this dynamic school, set in a humble neighbourhood of the township, are eager to embrace this learning opportunity and are willing to give up their Saturday mornings, every week, if it means that one day, they too will be university students on their way to a wonderful career.

The tutors, themselves products of disadvantaged backgrounds, were excited by the prospect of being able to give something back to the community, and to act as mentors and role models to these young, impressionable minds.In their introductory speeches, they told these young people of the hardships they had overcome, and how, through the power of education, they had achieved their goals.

The Penguin Tutoring Co is proud to partner with the RGM School of Excellence on this important social investment initiative. Their goals, which focus on the empowerment of youth through education and career guidance, are in close alignment with those of Penguin Tutoring. They share our passion for the vital need for excellence in Maths and Science to ensure the future of our children and the prosperity of our country.

Nelson Mandela said: “Education is the great engine of personal development” and that is true whether you are giving or receiving the education.

“I accept the call to responsibility that comes with the many rights and freedoms that I have been privileged to inherit from the sacrifice and the suffering of those who come before me.
“I appreciate that the rights enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa are inseparable from the duties and responsibilities to others. Therefore I accept that with every right comes a set of responsibilities.”

Today saw the launch of The Bill of Responsibilities, an initiative by Lead SA and the Department of Education,with the support of the National Interfaith Movement.  A nationwide programme will teach the youth of our country the content and implications of this Bill, a first of its kind in the World. It is an educational document to be taught in schools and publicised and debated throughout all areas of society.

The Bill of Responsibilities is a complementary document to the Bill of Rights and has the power to change South Africa for the good. Each one of us has the potential to change the course of this country’s future, and when we change our behaviour, we change the attitudes of those around us. We all need to improve our moral values and behavior and base our values on the foundations of integrity, compassion and decency.

Through the positive actions of every individual, we will be able to improve our wonderful country, and the future of the bright young people just at the beginning of their lives.

Lets all embrace this change and Lead South Africa.

Penguin Tutoring is the leading provider of specialist academic tutors in the country. Our professional management and extensive tutor database will ensure that your children get everything they need and more out of their extra lessons.

Parents of Matrics are going to need some extra help and guidance over the next few weeks.The Prelims have been postponed by the Gauteng Department of Education due to the ongoing educators strike. Exams were scheduled to start on the 3rd September, but will now take place during the week of 20th September. The papers will be written in the afternoons and catch-up sessions will take place in the mornings.

The Department of Education has been distributing Study Guides to affected schools and parents and learners are urged to download past papers from these websites;
www.thutong.doe.gov.za Click on “Support for Matrics “  or  www.education.gpg.gov.za Click on “Matric exam material ”
The DoE will also put up self explanatory guidelines on how to study, and set up study groups. Lessons will be broadcast through radio and television through the Department of Basic Education.

We at Penguin Tutoring Co are concerned about the strike and its far reaching negative impact on the future of these young people. We have tutors available in all areas to assist you. Log onto our website www.penguintutoring.co.za and ask for help now.

This week saw 1 million government employees on strike. Their demands are for better pay, better working conditions and better housing allowances. Some schools advised parents to keep their children at home as they couldn’t guarantee their safety. As parents, our first concern will be for our own children  - their safety if they do go to school, or their disadvantage if they miss out on valuable learning time by not being at school.

At Penguin Tutoring Co, we strongly believe in the value of a quality education for all the children of our country. We believe that this can only be delivered by top class, committed and dedicated educators. If the teaching profession cannot attract the very best people to their ranks, our children have little chance of being educated to world class standards.

We empathise with these teachers, and agree that they should be paid an excellent salary - for work well done, with measurable results. After all, the future of our children, and this country, is in their hands.

While Education is in crisis , we will continue to offer our supplementary tutoring service to all learners throughout the country, who are worried about their preparation for pending examinations. Matriculants have their Prelims looming, and with this in mind, we have recruited additional qualified tutors. We have a Saturday School project  “on ice”, waiting for a suitable partner school.

If you are concerned about your child’s performance and the increasing pressure on them to get on top of their work in the short time left before the end of this academic year, call us.

We will be able to help.

In an interesting story released today:

Washington - Scientists looking for lost penguins stumbled upon an effective method: Follow their excrement from space.

In remote Antarctica, about one-and-a-half times bigger than the United States, researchers have been unable to figure out just where colonies of emperor penguins live and if their population is in peril.

It is harder still because emperor penguins, featured in the film March of the Penguins, breed on sea ice, which scientists say will shrink significantly in the future because of global warming.

Because the large penguins stay on the same ice for months, their excrement stains make them stand out from space.

Scientists at the British Antarctic Survey found this out by accident when they were looking at satellite images of their bases.

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