Pictures from I love to Read Week

I Love to Read Week

One of the things I’m currently trying to accomplish at one of my schools is to have it become apart of the South African Readathon 2006 program. I think it would be a great accomplishment for a village school which doesn’t typically find itself encouraged in the area of literacy. Thus, this last week I’ve had an “I Love to Read” week to promote this goal, as well as to encourage reading with both the teachers and students.

On Monday we started the week off with a “drop everything and read” day. The premise for this was that every time classes heard a bell ring they dropped what they were doing and read for ten minutes. It was cute to see the kids scrambling to put their stuff down and listen to the stories their teachers read to them at these intervals. The teachers commented to me after about how they were surprised at how engrossed and attentive their children were during these intervals. I felt this admission from them was a huge accomplishment towards encouraging regular reading sessions to take place in the classroom.

On Tuesday Grades R-4 made their own autobiographies and Grades 5-7 dramatized stories they had read. The autobiographies turned out wonderfully. The kids drew themselves on the first page, wrote about what they liked to do on the second, wrote who they lived with on the third, and on the final page wrote about what they wanted to be when they grew up. I think everyone was impressed with the work that all the kids independently accomplished. The only thing I found worrisome was that some children wrote they wanted to be a tsotsi (gangster) when they grew up. The principal found it particularly funny that the children who wanted to be nurses drew them as heavier women since the ones that work at the clinic near us are all “big mamas.”

Wednesday was devoted to a spelling bee. The kids seemed to enjoy the competitiveness of the activity.

Thursday the older children came to the preschool-Grade 3 classes and read them stories. The kids seemed to enjoy having their classes “taught” by someone closer to being their peer than their teacher.

Finally, Friday was our award ceremony where we distributed prizes for both the spelling bee winners and children who had done particularly well during the week.

Overall, the event was a success, and I look forward to doing more activities with the school encouraging literacy.

Stares

Today I was in town with my principal and one of my teachers. I noticed a few people staring at us (I suppose it's true that it's not common to see black and white people walking together in this area). What really struck me is that my principal noticed and commented "I bet they're wondering why you are with us." It's so sad that this type of thinking still continues and that to walk with the people I live with means stares for all of us that have obvious connotations. Oh discrimination....

Resources

I got in an argument with the principal and deputy principal over computers. I thought that the teachers should be able to have access to the two school computers and the principal thought they shouldn’t, even if they were under my supervision. He insists that they will break them, and the school doesn’t have the money to fix them. So once again I’m faced with a case of having a resource and wasting it. He said that when the school receives more computers then the teachers could use them, but I pointed out that: 1. It wasn’t likely that the school would receive computers in the near future (and I certainly have no intention of helping them get any at this point) and 2. If they did receive them no one would be around to teach them to use them. He insists that if the teachers want to learn to use computers they should pay and take classes.

Then the argument side-tracked; the computers are located in his office and he discussed how he didn’t want the teachers in his office. At that time the deputy principal jumped in and used her line that she had been a South African teacher for 30 years and people would never be allowed to go freely in the principal’s office. What she happens to overlook is the fact that this is not her “South African” school- this is a village school and different than her former town school that had money and a computer in every classroom where she used to work. This school has few resources and those happen to be kept in the principal’s office: the TV and computers are there (both off limit to teachers for fear of breaking), the copy machine, the stapler, paper, the school stamp, etc. If the principal wants total control over the office then fine, but put school materials in the resource room.

It is no wonder people are hesitant about donating and helping village schools….

Discipline

Today a parent came into school. The teacher had called the father because his child was continuously truant. The matter was brought up to the deputy principal whose response was to first criticize the child’s appearance- “get your hands out of your pockets, tuck in your shirt, why aren’t you wearing shoes?” She then went on to tell the child she going to have him expelled if he didn’t start behaving. I saw a number of fallacies in this whole exchange:

More than likely the child doesn’t have shoes because he can’t afford them. Telling a child we are embarrassed by his appearance probably doesn’t accomplish much other than further antagonizing him from the educational system. Many of these children have no real control over their appearance- they don’t have the money to look how we would like them to look.

Never once was the child asked why he wasn’t coming to school or what he wanted to do when he was older. To me, emphasizing the importance of school takes precedent over provoking a child further.

One of the things I have never understood is the idea of suspending or expelling a truant child. This seems to be a further reward for the child. Expelling the child will only kill his chance for any type of education and will lead him to be a problem for the community.

In the end, why don’t we take more interest in our children; exert more effort? Why not discover the root of the problem and try to solve it instead of just making it try to disappear as a momentary solution?

Thank You

So sometimes, when I’m about to kill the teachers and say screw all of it, something acts to remind me that I’m here for the kids, and they’re the ones I really care about.

Confidence, a grade 7 student who is extremely bright, wrote me the following letter which reminded me why I’m a Peace Corps Volunteer.

Dearest Teacher Cait,

This year is now over and I know you are leaving South Africa (side note: I’m not but she’s leaving the village to go to school in Polokwane so I think she equates this to me leaving) the home or country of passion, love, care, comfort, and ubuntu. I am so afraid I am going to lose a friend as a result. We are all going to lose and miss you. I hope one day fate will smile upon us and we will see each other again. To remind you, latitude is the space which confines the words he and she, we and I.

Remember that we meet to part and part to meet. God be with you till we meet again. Over the years you were not here I had a mountain which was so high for me but now I can see the light shining on me. I don’t know how to thank you for showing me the light.

I highly appreciate it. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Now I am able to climb the mountain because you have made a bridge for me to walk on and climb the mountain. You have given me the chance to see the silks of mine and yours. You have taught me wrong to right. You are an angel sent from God. You listen to other people’ problems and try to solve them. You are a fighter of problems.

You are a needable and brave woman.

From: Confidence

Violence

Why do I spend my time fighting with teachers over idiosyncrasies such as why it’s not appropriate to show a violent film to primary school children at movie day?

“But they like those films!”

Eish…

Intercultural Exchange

Currently I am teaching “my daughter” Shibu to sing Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” It seems as if I’m really productive in my Peace Corps experience. Does this count as intercultural exchange?

Blyde River Canyon

For September break I decided to go hiking with a number of the other volunteers. Thus, we went to Blyde River Canyon for a 3 day hike, which happened to be my first overnight hike ever and thus had me a trifle concerned. Luckily, it was relatively easily (minus the blisters) and each day the distance hiked was short (never more than 13km). Nevertheless, it was gorgeous.

You could see views for miles and everything was painted rich shades of green which I did not know was possible at this time of year when so much of the rest of the country is desperately praying for rain. We got multiple opportunities to swim in rivers and see cascading waterfalls. So often, especially in the village, I forget the properties of nature and how easily you can lose yourself in it; in the breezes through the grasses, in the chattering of birds, the sounds of flowing water, the friendly calls of baboons (kidding they happen to be quite irritating though interesting to view as they sprint down hillsides).

At night you see everything the sky has to offer: the dense clouds of the Milky Way, satellites as they roved silently above, shooting stars as they lost themselves to the atmosphere; all the views I both forgot about and had no idea existed coming from the light pollution of LA. Sleeping under that expanse, me such a miniscule dot and it such an engulfing mass, leaves the brain cluttered and uncomprehending of how it could even be possible; how anything could be so old, how anything of such perfection has the capability of forming in the first place. It makes so much else seem desperately insignificant.

Art and Culture Day Pics 2

Art and Culture Day Pics 1

Art and Culture Day

The last week of third term I was lucky enough to experience Art and Culture Day. This display represented various types of traditional aspects of the culture in addition to being entwined with some more “modern” influences. Highlights included a gumboot dance, kwaito and jazz dancing, traditional dancing, a drama about HIV/AIDS (which of course caused everyone to inappropriately laugh when the main character contracted HIV- inappropriate laughing seems to be a common theme in this culture when it comes to rape scenes, HIV/AIDS, or basic violence of any kind, I suppose I just have a different idea of appropriate reactions). Perhaps my favorite part of the program included “miming” which, contrary to my initial expectations, was actually children singing popular songs. I particularly enjoyed the rendition of Enrique Iglesias’s “I Can Be Your Hero.”

In addition to everything else, my teachers decided I got the honor of being their Barbie for the day. Thus, I was herded into the office where I was poked and prodded into a traditional costume which left my principal happily lamenting that I was a “Bolobedu Girl;” a reference which I find to be quite catching. Perhaps I could bring the trend back to the US: “I wish they all could be Bolobedu girls.” I also more or less found myself having a daughter (an absolutely adorable preschooler by the name of Shibu who was contentedly curled up in my lap for the majority of the day). I do appreciate the affection. Overall, a fun day at school.