“WHEN a child walks into my classroom, they become my own child; a special part of my family.” These are the words of Dr Naadirah Abader, Sanctor High School educator and self-proclaimed lifelong scholar, and mother with a heart for her family first.
Abader, who attended Triomf Primary School and Bethelsdorp Comprehensive School, believes that her calling to a life as an educator was first ignited by phenomenal teachers she encountered along the way.
“My love for teaching came from exemplary teachers who taught me with a passion that spilled over into me; from teachers who taught me who were amazing role models themselves,” she said.
Abader accredits her initial success to the Dower College of Education, where she said she was taught to teach effectively first and foremost, and equipped to deal with any classroom situation.
Coming up on 31 years in the profession, Abader joked that she did not want to reveal her age too wilfully, and emphasised what a privilege it is to work with young minds every day and how it is an educator’s responsibility to create an environment where the learner feels valued as they are.
In 2010, Abader returned to the Nelson Mandela University to pursue her first postgraduate degree, her Honours. She explained that hereafter, she planned to take a brief hiatus before pursuing her Masters, but things did not go quite according to plan.
“Once the bug bit me, I was hooked. I was inspired to continue by some amazing people on my journey.”
Here, she discovered her incomprehensible love for research, which she said she found calming and addictive.
Abader took a cumulative eight years to complete three degrees, her honours, masters and doctorate; and said that by the time she got to her doctorate, she was studying alongside her daughter, Taahirah Abader, who commenced study in a Bachelor of Pharmacy course around the same time.
Abader has described her doctoral research as one of her greatest and most gratifying achievements and one she would not have been able to realise without the undying support of her beloved daughter and family at large.
Abader shares a special bond with her daughter Taahirah, who currently practices as a community service pharmacist out of town, whom she acknowledges as a vital part of her support system.
“Taahirah is my greatest teacher, my biggest inspiration, and also my greatest critic.
“She has the biggest heart and the most beautiful soul and is so comfortable in her chosen profession,” she said.
With the onset of her doctoral studies, Abader admitted to having endured severe strife as personal and health issues alike had set in, as she had been admitted to hospital over an extended period.
She is grateful to have overcome these obstacles and with this, describes herself as a person who prioritises her spiritual well-being.
Abader, whose doctoral research follows the extensive disadvantages of teaching learners in a language other than their mother tongue, explained that she was first ignited to undertake her doctoral studies after spending time in the classroom and finding that learners held vastly different identities to one another as far as language and financial backgrounds were concerned.
“Throughout the years, I have been teaching children who are Afrikaans and IsiXhosa mother tongue speakers. Children were often placed in classes where learning and teaching took place in English – their second language – hence making learning very difficult.
“This forces them to move in between different linguistic spaces.”
Detailing the driving force behind her doctorate, she said, “I wanted to understand how these children learn and how they cope in these classrooms; and wanted to acknowledge that I understand their learning problems, hoping to make a difference in my English home language class.”
With this, she called herself a ‘Promoter of mother tongue education.’
Abader attributes her success to her parents who always encouraged a positive culture around learning and knowledge; so much so that her father at 77 years old, has read her PhD research numerous times.
“My parents provided a firm grounding for myself and my siblings, and always created an environment conducive to learning.”
Abader recognises that the child educators are encountering in present time is vastly different from that whom they taught 30 years ago and placed emphasis on adapting to change now more than ever.
“As educators we need to be adaptable. The child in a COVID-19 world is very different from when we started. We need to work to make the environment one which consistently fosters learning,” she said.
Abader particularly enjoys bumping into past students, an occasion she deems most gratifying, seeing them as adults and professionals with families, and concluded that if she had to choose anew, she would absolutely choose teaching again.
