Abigail Fulbrook: Okay, welcome back to the Elevate blog. I’m here with a Elizna today. Elizna, where are you in the world?
Elizna Wehrmann: I’m based in South Africa.
Abigail Fulbrook: I see which part which part of South Africa is that?
Elizna Wehrmann: Yes. Um, so we I live in Pretoria in a small part called Centurion. Um, yes, with my family and yeah.
Abigail Fulbrook: and you’re you’re an English teacher.
Elizna Wehrmann: Yes, I’m ESL teacher.
Abigail Fulbrook: So, what kind of, who who are your main group of students? What kind of people do you teach?
Elizna Wehrmann: Okay. So I have a passion for students with neurodiversity, ADHD, autism because of personal history. I have ADHD myself. My son is autistic. My brother’s son is autistic. So it is kind of due to personal experience.
Abigail Fulbrook: definitely. So is it mostly children or adults or anyone you you’re teaching?
Elizna Wehrmann: anyone, but I prefer kids. Their honesty and openness and willingness is so amazing. Um, you you can’t look past that.
Abigail Fulbrook: Yeah, it’s refreshing, isn’t it? There’s always something good. And what kind of thing are you teaching? Is Is it reading, writing? Um, English in general?
Elizna Wehrmann: Conversational. So with neurodiversity I’ve learned that conversational personal approach and personalization is very important. They learn better when you can work with their interest. Um, it keeps them more engaged. It keeps it keeps them coming back and more willing to learn.
Abigail Fulbrook: Do you find, I’m wondering if if children are having English lessons in school, maybe they’re maybe they’re not enjoying if they’re in a big classroom and there’s only one teacher. uh maybe their English teachers English is not so great. Um do you find working one-to-one is more productive for children
Elizna Wehrmann: With neurodiverse students definitely working one-on-one is more productive. In a big classroom a teacher can’t personalize a lesson. They have to kind of work from the book, the script, the everything and then they lose attention.
Abigail Fulbrook: That’s right. Yeah. I’m thinking of I’ve I’ve heard lots of parents who say, “Oh, they’re not really interested in school English,” but then they start to have lessons one-to-one and just suddenly it’s it’s their favorite subject in the world.
Elizna Wehrmann: Yes. because it opens up the world for them. And when they get to get that spark, that aha moment, I can do this. When someone is only paying attention to them, it it makes it more fun and then yes, it can become their perfect favorite subject.
Abigail Fulbrook: That’s great. It’s very satisfying for as a teacher yourself.
Elizna Wehrmann: Yes. It is definitely I’ve not liked that though.
Abigail Fulbrook: Do you have any memorable moments yourself when your students have come back to you and said, “Teacher, teacher, this is great. Something happened?
Elizna Wehrmann: Over December, January, I was teaching a little boy from Egypt online, six-year-old. And the one day we started class and he just started saying, “Teacher, I love you.” And it was so cute. And he was always smiling and happy when he did when we did lessons and so on. It was it was just …
Abigail Fulbrook: Oh, you definitely don’t get that from adult students, do you? Oh, that’s great. That’s really nice. So, well, now I I think I know the answer to this. So, what keeps you being an English teacher?
Elizna Wehrmann: It is the passion. Absolutely. the passion for seeing children just having that moment and just enjoying themselves and just being happy. Um yeah, it’s just it just brings a spark. It gives me energy. It gives me everything that I need to go on every day.
Abigail Fulbrook: Oh, that’s great. Yeah. Okay. Um, I think that’s all my questions actually for now. Elizna, thank you very much for talking to me today.
Elizna Wehrmann: Thank you to you.
You can contact and book lessons with Elizna here
