Celebrities who have a passion for teaching
October 5 marks 'World Teachers' Day'. To celebrate, we look at famous people who wanted a career in the teaching profession or who were teachers before becoming famous.
The theme for this year's 'World Teachers' Day' is "Teachers: Leading in Crisis, Reimagining the Future".
Teachers play a very important role in the life of children and as Sionil Jose once said: “The influence of teachers extends beyond the classroom, well into the future”.
READ: Worl Teachers' Day: Celebrating South Africa's teachers
Educators help shape the life and future of many people. That’s
why October 5 is set to celebrate the role of educators in society.
Let’s look at celebrities who had or wanted a career in teaching.
Bonang Matheba
Queen B is very vocal about her love for the teaching profession. She says her love for teaching was influenced by her family members who are educators.
“I am surrounded by a lot of teachers. My one aunty is a primary school teacher, my mother is a former teacher and my father is a lecturer at the University of Limpopo," she said in an interview with TshisaLive.
In a tweet which she shared in 2019, the media-mogul spoke about how she had a dream to build a school.
“I’ve always wanted to build a school. Seems like it’s actually gonna happen...” she tweeted.
The school will reportedly be built in Soweto.
....I’ve always wanted to build a school. Seems like it’s actually gonna happen... 👌
— Bonang Matheba 👑 (@bonang_m) June 12, 2019
Liam Neeson
Actor Liam Neeson loves teaching. The award-winning actor trained to be a teacher whilst attending St. Mary’s College in Newcastle.
READ: Top teacher: State of SA education system not a reflection of all teachers
Unfortunately, his career was short-lived. Neeson left the profession after reportedly punching a student in the face.
Oprah Winfrey
The 'Queen of Talk' is so passionate about education that she opened a school in South Africa to educate young girls.
The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls - South Africa was opened in 2007. It has produced a lot of graduates.
Winfrey has shared how she wanted to become a teacher.
"If I had been what I thought I was gonna be, and that is a great fourth grade teacher, I would have also liked that," said the star in an interview on the Piers Morgan Tonight show.
"At the core of me I am a teacher and I am happiest when I feel that people are getting something, learning something, enhancing themselves in a way that they never thought of before," she added.
Maya Angelou
Famous author and poet Maya Angelou has touched and changed the lives of many people around the world.
The civil rights activist used to teach at the Wake Forest University from 1982 to 2012.
She always prided herself as being "a teacher who writes".
"I’m not a writer who teaches. I’m a teacher who writes. But I had to work at Wake Forest to know that," she said in an interview with USA Today.
Image courtesy of Instagram/@Bonang_m