Florah joined the Barnard team in 2015 and has had a very special place in our hearts ever since.
Many of the talents and characteristics that personify Florah are the same qualities required to be an educator – someone who is passionate, organised, patient, adaptable, observant and kind.
Barnard is a Strength-Based Organisation. Florah’s CliftonStrengths® are a part of what makes her an asset to the Barnard family.
- Florah leads with the Responsibility strength. She is committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty, she takes psychological ownership of what she says she will do. It’s no wonder that her colleagues describe her as fiercely reliable and helpful.
- She also has the Relator strength which means that she enjoys close relationships with others. This is evident in her friendliness towards everyone around her. She truly has a heart of gold.
- She has the Consistency strength which means that she is keenly aware of the need to treat people the same. She craves stable routines and clear rules and procedures that everyone can follow.
- Florah also has the Focus strength. She can take direction, follow through and make the corrections necessary to stay on track. She is easily able to prioritise, then act.
- Last (but certainly not least!) Florah excels in her Learner strength. She has a great desire to learn and wants to continuously improve. The process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites her. This ties in well with Florah’s greatest dream of completing a teaching or childhood development course and opening her own preschool one day. “I love kids and I have so much to give,” she says excitedly. “Children need love, example and structure. When they know what’s coming next, they feel less anxious and more able to engage in their activities.”
Whenever possible, Florah loves spending her free time in nature, taking walks alongside rivers or in the mountains. Perhaps it’s because Florah knows that nature can teach us many of the life-transforming lessons of greatness, beauty, patience, hard work, peace, renewal, abundance, generosity, kindness, acceptance, self-reliance, and many more.
Teacher Florah, we have so much appreciation for you and we are so grateful that we get to work alongside you.