My Journey as an Afrikaans Tutor
I did not start my career in a classroom. I started on the floor with paint, glue, and giggling children.
In the art after-care and holiday care centre I owned, I quietly began helping children with their Afrikaans homework. Very quickly, I realised something important: not only did I love teaching Afrikaans, I also had a real gift for it. I started taking notes from my own children’s Afrikaans books and essentially went back to school myself, learning and training so that I could teach Afrikaans in the best way possible.
The results were impossible to ignore. The children in my after-care started improving their Afrikaans marks, and for some of them, it was the first real progress they had seen in years. Word spread. I put a simple advert on Facebook offering Afrikaans tutoring, and more learners started coming for lessons. Some of them were high school students from Abbotts College, all looking for help, support, and encouragement.
Shani Morris Afrikaans Tutor and Author
Why I became an Afrikaans tutor
Life then took me back into the corporate world, and I returned to work for a large retail company. But I could not let go of teaching. I continued tutoring part time, not because I had to, but because I genuinely loved it.
Children are honest. They do not pretend to understand when they do not. When you teach them in a way that makes sense to them, they light up. They soak up language like sponges, and you can see their confidence grow over time. That is one of the reasons I have always loved being an Afrikaans tutor.
Online Afrikaans lessons
When Covid arrived, my classroom moved online. Suddenly, my Afrikaans lessons were reaching learners far beyond South Africa. One of my students was a monk from New York who had visited South Africa, fallen in love with the country, and decided he wanted to learn Afrikaans.
Since then, I have tutored more than 100 learners online, from struggling Grade 5s to matric learners fighting for a pass. After all this time, I still look forward to every lesson.
Afrikaans tutoring for children and learners
Of course, tutoring has its seasons. Children come and go, school holidays are quieter, and I have always kept my lesson fees as affordable as possible. That meant I needed to expand my income in a way that still aligned with what I love: helping children with Afrikaans.
In February this year, I added another passion to my life: writing. I now write children’s books in both English and Afrikaans, as well as Afrikaans study guides aimed especially at learners who are failing Afrikaans or who have a very limited Afrikaans vocabulary. These are the children who often feel left behind, and they are exactly the ones I want to reach.Writing, AI and creativity
Artificial intelligence has become a surprisingly powerful partner in this journey. I use AI to help me plan, create, and polish materials so that I can spend more time on what matters most: the heart of the story and the child on the other side of the screen. In between travelling, teaching and writing, I am also teaching myself how to use AI better. I am always learning, always experimenting, and always looking for new ways to support learners.
And then there is painting.
My imagination is busy with stories, pictures, characters, and places. They all live in my head. I do not always have the time to paint as much as I would like, but the urge is always there. I want to write and paint everything that is in my mind as I discover new places and meet new children who are bravely tackling Afrikaans, one word at a time.
On this blog, I share my journey, resources, and ideas for helping children fall in love with Afrikaans. If you are looking for an Afrikaans tutor, Afrikaans lessons, Afrikaans tutoring or online Afrikaans support, I would love to help your child or children grow in confidence and skill.
Shani MorrisAfrikaans Tutor and Author
