First Disaster

Today is one of those days that, altho it has just begun, you need it to end like yesterday.

The passing of a family friend last night, the resultant lack of prep and sleep are not a good combination to teach the first two lessons of the day.

This was evident in my crash and burn teaching this morning.

First lesson Math lit, we started Unit 11 - simple ratio, proportion, measurements, areas volumes - did all the exercises before hand - but didnt think to work through the "Working example" so instead of going through the working example and then the girls getting on with the exercises we got stuck on the working example and although I knew how to do it I just couldnt verbalise it in a way that they could understand. It all ended horribly with me saying we would move on and clarify the situation tomorrow.

Then second lesson Math grade 9: A simple revision of chapter 9 : Ratio, rate and proportion - or so I thought.

I tried to let them explain what they would do so I could see if they were doing it the right way or where they were getting stuck or going wrong but that just made things worse and the ones who didnt have a clue confused the ones who did and me and the teacher had to step in and put it so simply and clearly that I felt like an ignorant idiot.

Anyway, that is my teaching done for the day and I wish I could go and climb into a hole somewhere.

Lesson for the day....

JUST WHEN U THINK U KNOW.... U ACTUALLY DONT....

oh yes... and ..... sleep and sufficient prep are essential for a smooth run

First Week

So Far so good

It is interesting to have time to take it all in unlike my first prac.
It is also interesting how organised it all is with workbooks and textbooks.

The Girls did homework over the holidays and so most of this week has been marking of that work but today I did get to witness a demonstration for Natural science on the subject of Indicators in relation to acids and bases.

Still a bit frustrating not having access to the workbook for Natural or Life Science but I am hoping by the end of the week that would have changed.

Other than that, I got my own email address and access codes for the internet etc so I am pretty Chuffed. I also went to one of the Focus groups today which was discussing improvement ideas for classrooms, toilets and computers and it seems that everything is of a high standard with most of the concerns being General maintenance and who to contact with regards to it.

I am also taking one of the Extended lessons on.... wait for it.... CARD MAKING .... the teacher who usually does it is involved with Vogue this term so she asked if I could take it instead.

Out of all the extension lessons like extra maths, extra science, extra biology etc... I ended up with Card making ... Hilarious - but am loving the creative outlet ;-)

My timetable is pretty full but that is mostly due to my efforts to soak up as much information, experience and observation that I can.

Take a look at this week ...

The white blocks are my free periods - 7 frees in one week or 7/35 lessons are free

This will change to less as I get busier and need more frees, I wont be able to observe as much as I would like.

Anyway, halfway through my first week and still smiling....

First Day

My First Day went really well.

Met all the wonderful staff members today, first at Chapel, then at the staff meeting which I found really interesting. They seem really caring and concerned for the children. Got some textbooks and went through the time table with the Teachers - going to be a challenging 7 weeks but I am really looking forward to it.

Already the differences between this practical and the previous one are quite extensive.

I'm really looking forward to this journey ;-)

This is the School I will be at for the next 6 -8 weeks, the place where I will teach and be taught, where I will learn and help others to learn, the place where I hope to connect, experience and hopefully impress.

I am nervous, excited and eager all at once and will keep you updated with my progress.....

Proudly South African

An article written by an American on SA for the Huffington Post

I went on a rant the other day regarding the cost of the 2010 World Cup versus all the critical needs South Africa is facing and whether or not the most vulnerable of this country would gain anything from having the World Cup hosted in their country. At that time, I also had some very positive things to say about our hosts for the 2010 World Cup and I wanted to share that side of the coin as well, because it is equally important.

To say that I have been blown away at the hospitality South Africa has shown the rest of the world would be an understatement. I think back on recent Olympics and struggle to remember much reporting in the USA of athletes from other countries. I remember when a Togolese guy won a bronze medal in kayaking and NBC reported it and I thought to myself, "where are all the other fascinating stories like this one...like the Jamaican bobsledding team." In today's America, sadly, we have drifted so far towards being so US-centric that we only seem to root for the Americans.

Not so here in South Africa. I've been here since early May and each week I have become more and more impressed with the global embrace that South Africans have offered up to the world. On the way to the airport a couple of weeks ago, I heard a radio program that said each day they would focus on one country that would be coming to South Africa for the World Cup, and they would explore not only that sport's history in soccer, but also their politics, religion, and socio-cultural practices. On the television, I've seen numerous programs that focus on a particular country and it's history of soccer and how the history of that country is intertwined with their soccer history. I've seen programs on India, exploring why India enjoys soccer but hasn't really excelled at the global level... yet. And I've seen shows on soccer in Muslim countries. Maybe it's planned, maybe it's unplanned, maybe it's by chance, but it is happening. It's not just about South Africans showing off their varied and multifaceted culture to their global guests, it's also about using this opportunity to educate South Africa on the rest of Planet Earth's inhabitants.

As I moved through my work here in the provinces over the last six weeks, I had a pivotal meeting with the Board members of a rural NGO. They were explaining their guiding program philosophy of Ubuntu. No, not the Linux program. I'm talking about the traditional African philosophy of Ubuntu that essentially says, "No man is an island."

I found a better explanation from Wikipedia:

Archbishop Desmond Tutu further explained Ubuntu in 2008:
One of the sayings in our country is Ubuntu - the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can't exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can't be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality -- Ubuntu -- you are known for your generosity.

We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole world. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity.

To me, Ubuntu is the acceptance of others as parts of the sum total of each of us. And that is exactly what I have experienced during the lead up to, and the initial days of this World Cup. There is nary a South African citizen that I've met on the street, or in shops or restaurants or hotels, that hasn't gone out of their way to greet me and make me feel like I am home. And I don't mean that in the trivial, "Oh, aren't they nice, homey people here... " sort of way. I mean real, genuine interest and questions. People seriously want to know where I come from. What it's like where I live. How does it compare to where I am now. What do I think of South Africa. Oh yes, and what do I think of Bafana Bafana... The questions and conversations are in earnest. They are honest. And they are had with enthusiasm and a thirst to know more. South Africans are drinking deeply from the cup of humanity that has been brought to their doorstep. I would never imagine that an American World Cup or Olympics would ever be this welcoming to the rest of the world. And that saddens me for the state of my home country, but it also makes me feel the pride of the South African people.

I have been truly humbled on this trip. And while I have my gripes regarding development here, I cannot say one negative thing about how South Africa has handled its duties as host and hostess to the world. If I could say one thing to sum up being here during this once-in-a-lifetime experience, it would be that I've learned the value of Ubuntu, and that when found and offered in abundance, the world is indeed a better place to live in.

So, if South Africa accomplishes nothing more on the playing field, it will still have won as a host country. I am a cynic, no doubt about that. And yet I have to admit, I'm a little teary just writing this because I leave for home next weekend and I will be leaving a little piece of myself here in South Africa. I just hope I have learned enough to bring back a little piece of Ubuntu to my homeland, where perhaps with a little caring and a little water, it will take root as naturally as it does here, in the cradle of civilization. It's funny, many people in America still ask me, "are the people in Africa very primitive?" Yes, I know, amazing someone could ask that but they do. And when they do, I usually explain that living in a mud hut does not make one primitive, however, allowing kids to sell drugs to other kids and engage in drive-by killings -- isn't that primitive behavior? I think it is. When I think of Ubuntu and my recent experiences here, I think America has much to learn from Africa in general, in terms of living as a larger village; and as human beings who are all interconnected with each other, each of us having an affect on our brothers and sisters.

As the 2010 Cup slogan goes, "Feel it. It is here." Well, I have felt it, because I am here. Thank you South Africa, for giving me this unexpected gift. I am humbled.