​​​The Western Cape's top teacher, Llewellyn van der Ross, never planned on a career in education. “I didn't choose teaching, teaching chose me," he says of the “epiphany" he had in Grade 12 that saw him study education and return to his former school, Tuscany Glen Primary in Eerste River, as a Grade 7 teacher.

Van der Ross, who will graduate with a master's degree in education from Stellenbosch University (SU) in December, says his passion for teaching stems from his love of reading. “Literacy is the bridge from misery to hope," he says, citing the words of former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan. Reading was the spark that changed his life's trajectory, he explains. “I was raised by my mother, a single parent who worked long shifts in a factory to provide for our family. Her sacrifices shaped me profoundly. She taught me the values of hard work, resilience, and the belief that education could open doors that seemed, to us, otherwise closed."

Now Van der Ross, who grew up in Wesbank in Kuils River, can open doors for the learners who pass through his classroom. Unable to see himself in any other profession, he adds that coming from the same community as the learners in his class has given him an edge when it comes to teaching. “For me, teaching is not merely a profession; it's a calling to create spaces where each child feels valued, seen, and inspired to dream bigger than their circumstances."

He focused his research for his master's degree on the effect of learning losses linked to the Covid-19 pandemic with a specific focus on reading comprehension. This after he noticed that while many of his learners could read, many struggled to read with meaning. “I strive to innovate within the classroom by introducing programmes like 'Reading for Meaning' clubs and incorporating digital storytelling.