A breakthrough

Today was a day of breakthroughs.

Breakthroughs of language barriers,
breakthroughs of overcoming insecurities,
and a breakthrough of different teaching styles.
 

Loving Ms. Lindsey already

I was excited to find out that my friend Lindsey, another intern from UNCW, would be moving from her class to join Ms. Vava and I! She is such a blessing and I am so thankful to have her as a teacher in the classroom. Lindsey was teaching in grade R, which is Kindergarten in South Africa. She loved her Grade R students so much, but it was very hard for them to understand English.  Many of the younger students have not had as much exposure to the English language as the older children. Intense English language classes begin in the second term on Grade 2. Speaking of terms, the school year in South Africa begins in January and ends in December! There a few breaks throughout the year, but there is no summer break! The children are very dedicated to coming to school and are excited to learn. Some students walk more than three miles to school! One of the boys in my class is an hour late every day because he walks further than all of the other students. I made sure to give him a big hug and thank him for coming! I walked to school when I was in elementary school, but my walk was much less than an hour.


As I wrote at the beginning of the blog, today was a day of breakthroughs. Since Lindsey joined our class today, her and I were able to assist students with their math work. The students were learning the reciprocals of multiplication and division problems, (Something that you will be learning more about soon Ms. Redmond's class!) and Vava did an excellent job of explaining the content with limited resources. It is amazing what you can do with a piece of chalk and a chalkboard! Lindsey and I focused on the students who were not grasping the material. Vava said that this is a constant struggle for her as a teacher. She does not have the ability to individually assist each child during a lesson. It would take all day to get through one topic! She does her best to make sure that her students understand.

After the math lesson, Vava told us that on Fridays the students spend their time reading. I asked her how long that they typically read, and she answered simply. She told us that they read all day. All day, at their seats, with the same books that they have read for a year.

"Being a teacher makes you so excited, but other times it makes you want to cry," she said.

Vava is so genuinely concerned about each one of students. She wants them to succeed inside the walls of her classroom, in their homes, and in their future. She mentioned that she wanted them to do more than read, but she did not know what else to do. She asked us for some ideas so we suggested literacy circles! We split the entire class into three groups and each taught them about letter sounds, comprehension skills and concepts of printed text. It was so exciting when the students were able to tell me where to find the author's name on their own! Some of the words that I introduced them to were words that they had never heard in English. They also taught me how to say them in Xhosa! Each of us taught the students in our own way. At some points all three of the groups were singing songs to help remember letter sounds and parts of the story. (I could not remember all of the words to one song, so I had to make it up on the spot. Thankfully, the students caught on quickly!)

School is dismissed at 12 every Friday. Imagine a half day every week! The students did not leave right when the bell rang. They stayed in the classroom to help Vava clean! I was so touched by their willingness to serve their teacher. Each child took joy in the job that they had in the classroom. It seemed like the students had organized system of how to clean the room. A few students stacked the chairs, others erased the chalkboard, a few of the brave boys closed the windows, and others swept the floor. I felt like I was more in the way than actually helping, so Lindsey and I randomly made up a chant to encourage our students. Soon we were all chanting, cleaning, and laughing.  I'm surprised that you couldn't hear us from the states! This was a precious bonding time for us and our students. I would clean all day long if I could clean with them. I cannot wait to see their sweet faces on Monday morning!

I need to go to bed, because tomorrow we are going to an international soccer game in the stadium in Port Elizabeth! We are so excited. We will be watching the Ivory Coast and Bafana Bafana! I need to get some decent rest so I have enough energy to cheer!