Educator, author, leadership consultant and life and resuscitation coach, Maano Ramadwa, feels no fear looking back at his tough childhood and openly talking about it to inspire a million others. His is a grass-to-grace story of a person who fought his way up from the depths of poverty, working in a pigsty to being a celebrated teacher who inspires young people using his life experiences as motivation.
LIVING WITH PIGS
After repeatedly failing matric, Ramadwa decided to give up, leave school, and look for a job. He found work in a piggery where he shared the shelter with pigs in a pigsty. "Living in a pigsty was the lowest point of my life. Everyone thought I had no future. I would see children neatly dressed up in uniform walking down to school while I was feeding pigs in dirty clothes,' he recalls. This ordeal proved to be a blessing in disguise for Ramadwa, as it induced hunger for success. He says this experience opened his eyes and he decided to pick up the pieces of his life. "I decided to leave the farm life and go back to high school to finish my studies. This was another humiliating experience as I was the oldest in class. I was often teased and made fun of by other learners, but I persevered. I was determined not to return to the shameful life of living with pigs,' he shares.
REALISING HIS PURPOSE
At 23, Ramadwa completed his matric, studied as a teacher, and eventually found a job at a private school in Johannesburg in the 90s. He was promoted from one level to the other until he became a school principal at Blue Eagle High school in Cosmo City, Johannesburg. It was here that his purpose of inspiring people became clear to him. Today Ramadwa inspires many through his motivational talks and life coaching. He has written several books. His first book, Teach to Inspire, was published in 2015 and later revised in 2019. It encourages fellow teachers to take it within their stride to do all they can to be the source of inspiration for the young children they teach.
WRITING FROM THE HEART
He went on to release other books, Restart…Tune into Your Purpose and Ten Deadly Spirits, which are spiritual books aligned with his Christian beliefs. He recently published his leadership book Resuscitation Leadership, which is the source of leadership wisdom he shares with leaders during his various talks. He is also a certified leadership coach and a sought-after speaker, who has been featured on different media platforms, where he shares his wisdom in life and leadership with the public. His training is designed to evoke the spiritual inclination and understanding of all the audiences, regardless which belief they belong to. He is credited for inspiring many dropouts to go back to school.
REIGNITING THE PASSION IN TEACHERS
He believes motivational talks for learners help change their perspective. "My goal and purpose have always been to positively impact the lives of learners. I use motivation to help young people sail through the challenges life throws at them with a positive attitude,' he says. Through his talks, many students have been motivated to face their challenges head-on and change their ways. Some dropouts have been encouraged to go back to school, and wayward learners have changed their attitudes. He has also rejuvenated the love for teaching in teachers by using his expertise to train teachers and principals in leadership issues. He also helps underperforming schools by conducting strategic planning sessions for them, among other things. "If we want to change the world; if we want motivated learners, then what we need is teachers who are excited about teaching,' he conclues
