In January 2022, Prof Michael le Cordeur commenced duties as new vice-dean of Teaching and Learning in the Faculty of Education at Stellenbosch University (SU). With this new appointment, he says his education career spanning 41 years has come full circle.
“This appointment is the pinnacle of my career," says Le Cordeur, who succeeds Prof Maureen Robinson following her retirement in December 2021. Excited about his new duties and responsibilities, he is determined to help maintain and further improve the Faculty's excellent reputation, being ranked in the top 200 education faculties globally and second nationally. “I am very excited. Teaching has always been my passion, and I still refer to myself as a teacher," he says.
Full circle
Starting out as an educator, Le Cordeur steadily climbed the ranks, advancing to high-school principal, and then education circuit manager for Stellenbosch. He then joined SU, first as lecturer for undergraduate and postgraduate students, then as chair of the BEd programme, after which he was appointed chair of SU's Department of Curriculum Studies. “I know the job, and I know the people I'll be working with. After so many years in education, I have seen it all," he says.
In addition to maintaining the Faculty's stature, he also hopes to advance its impact on the diverse South African society and beyond. “We want to deliver graduates who will make a difference wherever they work and who will take South Africa forward into the 21st century," Le Cordeur says. “Teachers of the 21st century should not only have a passion for children but must be multilingual, skilled in the digital technology of blended learning, as well as sensitive to the diversity and inequalities in the education landscape."
His focus will be on managing the Faculty's Teaching and Learning portfolio, making sure that students receive their lessons on time, empowering lecturers to teach under all circumstances, including in a state of emergency, and ensuring that we deliver the best teaching and learning experience," he says.
Humble beginnings
Le Cordeur grew up in a poor community in Wellington under apartheid in the 1970s and matriculated in 1976. He became the first member of his family to attend university. Four siblings followed in his footsteps in the 1980s. At the time, he could only enrol at a university that accepted so-called “Coloured" students, he says. He was given a choice between nursing, teaching or a career in the police service. “If I were to choose again today, I'd still pick teaching," he smiles.
He has now fond memories of studying with friends like Prof Russel Bothman and Prof Tyron Pretorius. It was an honour to study under legends like Proff Jakes Gerwel and Brain O'Connell, says he. The books and portrait of Adam Small on display in his office are proof of Prof Le Cordeur's close relationship with the South African writer and philosopher who also acted as his mentor and soundboard.
Since then, he has learned to make the most of every opportunity coming his way. He draws inspiration from a thought commonly attributed to Aristotle: excellence is not a single deed but a way of life. Choosing to be an optimist, Le Cordeur sees challenges as opportunities that can lead to excellence and innovation. He cites as an example how the Covid-19 lockdown created an opportunity for the country to reimagine and rebuild its education offering.
Perseverance
This positive outlook on life spills over into his private life as well. As an enthusiastic Chrysanthemum grower for the past 36 years, boasting more than 100 different species in his garden, he and his fellow floriculturists were devastated when the 2020 lockdown saw their annual Chrysanthemum show being cancelled. “But we turned the challenge into an opportunity and hosted the first online show in the event's 107-year existence. More than 30 000 people tuned in," he says proudly.
He says this hobby plays an important part in his life, among others teaching him the virtue of patience. The flowers take a full 12 months to bloom. And his patience was rewarded when he scooped the Champion's Trophy at the 2021 show – crowning 35 years of perseverance.
Photographer: Sandra Mulder
