Kalksteenfontein Primary School - Days 12-14

The past three days the SAI team has been observing and participating in lessons at the Kalksteenfontein Primary Schools. This school runs form grade R-7. The surrounding area is depressing to drive through and from what we were told, gang and drug infested. Many of the students do not go further than 7th grade and of those who do, not even half of them will finish secondary school (high school.) The school building itself was dark, cold and worn looking.
Day one was strictly observations. My fellow special education participant and I were able to spend the day observing the basic skills teacher. We began by pushing into one of the kindergarten classes and the remainder of our time with her, groups of students came to her class for pull-out support. She said that many of the students she sees are so far behind for a multitude of reasons. She spends time reviewing reading and writing skills in Afrikaans and some English. She was a very effective teacher! You could tell the students loved being with her. She showed them encouragement, love, and a lot of individual attention; which can be missing at times in classes were there are 40 plus learners.
Day two I pushed into a 5th grade classroom along with one other participant. The plan was to teach one of the English lessons from their text books. This ended up being the most difficult and challenging day for me as a teacher. The students in the class had a limited spoken English vocabulary, and their written was significantly worse. I became frustrated with myself as a teacher that I could not reach them and the lesson was quickly becoming ineffective. At the first break, I took a deep breath and dug deep down into my skills as a teacher who is routinely making accommodations and modifications for learners at multiple levels. Once I reassessed how the lesson was going, my goals for the lesson, the students learning levels we were able to move slowly and steadily through the remainder of the afternoon. When I sat and later reflected on the lesson, I realized that the schools I had spent time in prior to Kalksteenfontein were much more advanced in their English instruction. Also, the lesson and materials the school was using were not at all interesting to the students. If I found the lessons boring, I'm SURE the students did as well! When we left the classroom informing the teacher that we would be back the next day and would like to teach our prepared lesson - the "I Am" poem.
Day three we show up and find out that our cooperating teacher was absent. The principal wanted to find another class for us to work in, however my fellow participant and I insisted on working with and following up with our same class. He seemed nervous that we would not be able to handle the class in terms of discipline. With a couple proximity checks, talk of being excluded from the fun part at the end of the day and discussions on respect; the learners were fine. There were eight two-digit by two-digit multiplication warm up problems on the board when we entered. No substitute teacher in the room with the students - which is common at many of the schools we had seen. (The students would normally push into another class or work on their own without supervision.) Many of the learners had not completed any of the task and those who had, did not have the correct answers. We taught a mini-lesson on an alternate method of computation for multiplication, then had students come to the board and explain in Afrikaans to their classmates the steps as we helped walk through each problem. This was highly successful and the learners were picking it up quickly.
The previous night, we spent a lot of time modifying the lesson to our learners specific needs. Our modifications paid off and we were able to complete the intended lesson. I wish that we could have spent more time with our students than the three days we were given. The schools are in desperate need of more staff to help reach the students. Class size severely impedes on the learning and success withing the school. During our routine bus debriefings, all SAI participants wished there was a way to hire more staff and lower class sizes to half of what they were - which would still be larger class sizes as compared to those in the U.S. Our collective mission for this cohort of SAI participants is aimed at finding a way to get more teaching and learning accomplished at the schools we visited - in particular Kalksteenfontein.We have already been discussing ideas and brainstorming ways of making this happen.

2,300 Smiles - Day 11

The meaning behind the word ubuntu is: "treating everyone with respect, being selfless, being companionate and fair, and working with others as opposed to against them." Today we heard a story and experienced a program that epitomized Ubuntu.
We began our morning at the Amy Beihl Foundation. Amy was a student working on women's and children's rights in South Africa during the early 1990's, as apartheid was coming to an end. She was brutally killed in 1993 when she happened upon a mob of political protesters. Four young men were convicted of the crime and sentenced to 18 years in prison.
The Beihls attended the Truth and Reconciliation hearing where the boys spoke about the horrible attack and asked for forgiveness. To many's surprise, Amy's parents granted them their forgiveness. Two of the boys felt they had been given a second chance and did not want to waste it. Together with the Beihls, they created the Amy Beihl foundation. This program provides after school enrichment activities centered around education AND the arts. We visited a number of the township schools today to experience a piece of South Africa's youth talent. It was inspiring, hopeful, and one of the best days yet! At one school, the sticks and cans dance team taught us a few moves. It was so much fun, the entire SAI team was smiling until our faces hurt as we made our first attempt at a traditional South African dance.
At the end of the day, I was silent and saddened on the bus ride home. If not for this tragedy, none of what we witnessed would have been possible. The 2,300 students that are reached by the Amy Beihl after school programs would go home to who knows what and not to mention, become influenced by an unknown. For two hours they are allowed to forget, they are encouraged to dream, and they given an opportunity for more. As a Christian we are stressed to about the importance of forgiveness. I wonder what the response of my parents would be, what my response when I become a parent could be, to loose a child to such a violent and hateful act. Could I forgive? Could I spend the rest of my life working next to two of my child's killers, dancing with them at their wedding, and watching them live the life I allowed them to have in spite of the life they took away from me? I pray this is never a question of which I am required to seek an answer to.

Travel Day - Day 10

Today was a dedicated travel day. We said goodbye to Joburg and thanked her for the fond memories.
We arrived safely in Cape Town at about three in the afternoon. After a short bus ride, we were at out next lodging location, An African Villa. It is a quaint bed and breakfast style hotel that seems warm and homely. There are tons of interesting art pieces scattered about the rooms.
After a brief introduction to the house and staff, the entire group, lead by Dr. Clark, headed for a walk downtown to explore the shops, restaurants, and town. We had a delicious dinner at Hudson's. They have a wonderful home-brew pale ale and a fabulously tasty ostrich burger! I think I just found my new addiction.
Check out the picks from the hotel and town...

One Extreme to Another - Day 9

This morning we had a very early start at Teboho Trust. My partner teachers and I were laying the foundations for an Intergenerational Voices project for the intermediate grade learners. We spoke to the learners about social justice and social responsibly. We then used the "I AM" poetry prompt to model a form of self expression. The students were eager to share their poems with us. As they delivered their thoughts to us, their peers practiced using the digital video recorder that we had brought from Rutgers. It was another extraordinary experience with learners I am blessed to have met! As I was packing up, one of the students came up to me and said he wanted to share an original piece of poetry with me. The depth and power behind his words are moving:

My eyes reacted
My mind was attracted
My heart was effected
Thousands were rejected
And you were selected
I love you
By: Befono

After leaving Teboho Trust, we had a quick change and reported back to the lobby dressed to impress our host for the evening, Phuti Mahanyele, a fellow Douglas college alumni. At her house, I was impressed by the grounds of her estate and simplicity of interior decoration. We took a boat ride to catch a beautiful South African sunset. It was another nights of firsts for food. I ate my first pickled ox tail, trite (lamb intestine), and Cornish hen. Out of them all, I liked the trite best, but my favorite dish of the evening was the leg of lamb. It reminded me of dinner at my nana and pop's when we were younger.
As I stared out at the lights of Johanasburg on the bus ride home, I thought a lot about the changes South Africa has seen in its recent past. The mark of poverty is still prevalent among the black school districts we have visited, however, also visible is the hope for a brighter future among the youth. Perhaps with sustained commitment to education, elder support, and student dedication more children's eyes will be open to the possibilities within. As one student wrote in his poem, "the word impossible is really saying I'M possible."

A Chance Encounter - Day 8

The morning's brief with Jose Bright have all of us SAI participants anxiously awaiting our chance to meet the learners of Teboho Trust in Soweto on Saturday. It is inspiring how the community works together to support the youth in their educational needs.
There was a slight change to itinerary and the group headed to Hector Pieterson Museum next. This museum is dedicated to the 1976 student uprising in Sowento. There is a memorable photo of a young man carrying the body of 13 year old Hector Pieterson while his sister runs along beside. It was a powerful museum especially since it was mainly dedicated to the youth movement during the times of apartheid. I was filled with inspiration and hope for the youth of today.
While in the museum, we heard that Hector's sister (Antoinette Sithole), the one in that famous photo, was at the museum. She was happy to speak with us after we finished touring the museum. It was extraordinarily moving to hear her recall the events of that June afternoon. She commented that she was just as interested to hear our interpretations and questions as we were to listen to her story. Wow! I can't believe I was able to sit there and listen to this women recall, from firsthand experience, such an important event from history...The bus ride home was silent as we attempted to process what we had just heard...however we did have a chance to drive by the houses of Desmond Tutu, Winnie Mandela, and Nelson Mandela. Additionally we saw the shantytowns of Soweto that were built as a result of the removals of blacks from the city of Johannesburg.
We had the rest of the afternoon off, which was good since most of us were walking around like sleep-deprived zombies who just got off an emotional roller coaster:-) Early start on Saturday at Teboho Trust...can't wait to work with the learners there and meet the support community!

The Best-Laid Plans... - Day 7

As teachers we spend a lot of time prepping for and planning the lessons we want to teach our learners. None of us like to be unprepared...that being said, teachers are the most flexible people I know. We understand that even the best-laid plans can be upset by the smallest event. I PLANNED to work with middle school age English as second language learners on story elements and writing. I couldn't have ask to have my plans more perfectly derailed than they were! I ended up teaching a grade 12 class on leadership and encouragement. Rather than write all about it, I will let one of the student's poetry samples explain how the unexpected can turn into a pleasant gift...

I AM

I am brave and starbon (stubborn)
I wonder about my good heart
I hear the anger of my heart
I want to achieve my goals
I am brave and starbon

I pretend I am a happy person
I feel the pain in my chest
I touch my enemies' hearts
I worry about what I'm going to do if I do not succeed
I cry when I do not get what I want
I am brave and starbon

I understand life isn't easy
I say being committed will make life easier
I dream of being a better person
I try my best
I hope I'm trying good enough
I am brave and starbon

by Khamyisiie

Zoo - Day 6

Today was a well needed rest to the emotional trip we have been on so far. We visited the National Zoological Gardens and had an all access backstage pass to the workings of the zoo! It was amazing! The tour began with a presentation at the main office building. From there we headed to the animal hospital where we had an informative visit with the reproductive specialist. I confess that it was way more than I ever dreamed of learning about specimen extraction methods of zoo animals! Let's just say it kept us from running out of dinner conversation. :-)
After a golf cart tour of the grounds and animals, we lunched alongside the elephants. Sooooo unbelievably cool! It was a perfect afternoon and we all left in lighter spirits. We arrived at the Hyatt Joburg and were amazed at the beauty of the grounds. We are looking forward to our next day in the Mamelodi schools.