Mr Pieter

University of Pretoria

The Socratic Method of teaching, as described by Plato, was explained by Mr Pieter as “knowledge will not come from teaching but from questioning”. Bearing this philosophy in mind, he began his studies in 1991 at the prestigious University of Pretoria with the aim of becoming a teacher. In 1995, when Yevgeny Kafelnikov won the St Petersburg Open against Guillaume Raoux, Mr Pieter graduated as a teacher and secured his first teaching position at a primary school in South Africa. At the time, he had no idea that he would spend the rest of his life teaching all over the world, from universities to kindergartens. He never could have imagined that through vast international experience, he would not only come to realize the wisdom behind the thousand-year-old Socratic Method, but also make it his own. In short, he has spent a lifetime as a teacher, not as a job or a career, but as a way of life.

Mr Pieter’s personal interests are diverse, ranging from a wide variety of sports such as playing golf, scuba diving, rugby, cricket, and squash, to drama, opera, and ballet. His perfect day would begin with a deep scuba dive in the ocean, followed by a round of golf and then a relaxing session with a good novel such as Nikolai Gogol’s “Dead Souls”. He would end the day with fine dining and a show at the Kremlin Ballet theatre or opera at the Bolshoi. In short, he finds variety to be the spice of life.