The Traveling Teacher

17/08/2026

To do:

16/08/2026

11/08/2026

🌍 Hi everyone! I’m Anna — The Traveling Teacher.

Two things have shaped most of my adult life: travel and education.

My own journey has been a little unconventional.

After school I studied tourism and worked in the travel industry. In my early twenties, like many young South Africans at the time, I headed to the UK for seasonal work, travel and adventure. Four years later I came home and took a job on a dairy farm in rural South Africa.

And that’s where something unexpected happened.

I ended up in a classroom.

Five years later, I had completed my teaching qualification — and I discovered that I loved teaching almost as much as I loved exploring the world.

In my early thirties I left South Africa again, this time for a teaching position in the UAE. What was meant to be a 3 year adventure became 13 years of teaching, learning and living internationally, before I eventually returned home after Covid.

Today, I’m building something that brings all of those experiences together.

I am the founder of The Traveling Teacher and co founder of Silvermist Learning Community. A learning space on an organic wine farm beneath Table Mountain in Cape Town. 🌿

I honestly think it is one of the most beautiful places in the world.

I currently work with a small community of 16 children and 4 facilitators, where learning looks very different from a traditional classroom.

We spend part of our day on the academic foundations children need, but much of our learning happens through real-world projects, practical skills, nature, problem-solving, making, building, growing, exploring and being outside.

And we don't stay on the farm.

We take city school adventures — using Cape Town itself as our classroom.

A museum becomes a history lesson.
A market becomes a mathematics and economics lesson.
A mountain becomes a science classroom.
A problem we encounter can become the beginning of a project.

This is what I’m increasingly passionate about: helping families turn travel into meaningful learning experiences.

Not adding worksheets to a holiday.

But asking:

What could your child discover here that they couldn't discover at home?

I’m looking forward to meeting other families who believe that the world is one of the greatest classrooms we have.

10/07/2026

Sometimes, learning looks like throwing rocks into the dam.

10/07/2026

Our outside classroom is taking beautiful shape thanks to NomadNess. Ouma Kaap is making the protective table covers.

10/07/2026

Over the last year, we have had a number of changes to the garden. The soil is much richer, many MANY earthworms and a couple of design changes. Loving the progress and current version.
And loving that the ducks come hang out too🤍🤎💚

10/07/2026

In our Learning Community, Learning is built around conversations, movement, play, relationships, curiosity, problem-solving and emotional regulation

What if school readiness isn't about asking whether children are "ready"... but whether we're recognising the foundations that help them thrive?

A recent UK report found that 37% of children were not considered "school ready" when they started school.

Rather than seeing this as a reason for concern or blame, we see it as an opportunity.

Every child arrives at school with their own unique strengths, experiences and developmental journey. Our role isn't to compare children against a checklist, it's to understand where they are, celebrate what they can already do, and intentionally grow the skills that will help them flourish.

Research consistently tells us that the foundations for learning include so much more than letters and numbers.

They're built through conversations, movement, play, relationships, curiosity, problem-solving, emotional regulation and the countless everyday moments children experience with the adults who care for them.

The exciting part?

These skills can be nurtured, fostered and developed.

When we understand the developmental foundations that sit beneath learning, we can better support children to become confident, capable learners, whether they're at home, in early childhood education or at school.

We think it's time to broaden the conversation around "readiness"
Because school readiness isn't about getting children to fit school.
It's about understanding children, building on their strengths, and giving every child the best possible foundations to learn, belong and thrive.

we'd love to hear your thoughts. What does "school readiness" mean to you, what does it look like?

01/07/2026

26/06/2026

Base 10 and Area model🩵