Where a love of English can take you

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Teachers Ann and Joe have much in common. This creative and fun couple live in Pretoria, South Africa, and have been teaching English at Novakid Online School for three years. They really love children! So much so that they recently became parents for the third time. Of course, we congratulated this wonderful pair! At the same time, we asked them a few questions.

Ann and Joe Green are real experts in everything to do with communicating with children. You try interacting with two young children every day while holding a baby in your arms! It’s not just a talent; it’s an invaluable experience.

The first to find out about Novakid was Joe; Ann joined afterwards. Having worked at a regular school for five years, Joe discovered the possibilities of working online and was inspired.

‘The benefits are amazing,’ says Ann. ‘I get to determine my schedule and spend more time with my family as I don’t have to sit in traffic on my way to and from work everyday, and live a balanced life. It truly is one of the best decisions I have ever made.’

Joe carefully chooses and prepares his props and looks for interesting items to illustrate the lesson topic. Half an hour before a live lesson, he always listens to music to relax, calm his nerves and get in the right mood.

Both teachers note that children today are very different from us when we were their age. ‘It’s more of a challenge to entertain and make things fun for the children of today, as they have access to amazing entertainment,’ admits Ann.

‘Today’s kids are much more digitally savvy and tech-oriented than previous generations,’ Joe agrees. ‘Because we live in the digital era, which makes information much more accessible, it takes a unique approach to reach and teach them. Because children can whip out their smart devices and find anything on the web, we as parents and teachers aren’t bearers of knowledge like we were 20 years ago. Instead, we must act as knowledge facilitators, assisting students in discovering new concepts, ideas, and information.’

Valuable advice from parents with a large family

As parents of three young children, Ann and Joe have some advice for us that is especially valuable as it is borne out of experience:

‘You don’t have to buy your kids things to show them you love them; spend time with them, watch a movie, go hiking or bake something.’

If you’d like to get to know our wonderful Novakid teachers better, sign up for lessons and follow the updates on our YouTube channel!