The full set of pictures in now up in the "Pictures!" section.
The school I'm volunteering in looks in some ways much like a school you'd see in Canada, except that it looks rundown and old. There are classrooms, supplies, and bells ringing. The difference is that this school is teaching some of the poorest of the poor. The children come from Capricorn Township, walking about 30 minutes each way. They are fed a bowl of porridge in the morning and usually a rice dish with a bit of meat in the afternoon. For many children, this is all they will eat all day.
The school I'm volunteering in looks in some ways much like a school you'd see in Canada, except that it looks rundown and old. There are classrooms, supplies, and bells ringing. The difference is that this school is teaching some of the poorest of the poor. The children come from Capricorn Township, walking about 30 minutes each way. They are fed a bowl of porridge in the morning and usually a rice dish with a bit of meat in the afternoon. For many children, this is all they will eat all day.
This is a view of the school
The playground - not quite up to Canadian standards...
The water fountain. Children cup their hands to drink. This is also where they wash their hands.
The hallway. The shcool is set up as one long hall with classrooms along the one side.
Getting breakfast
There are 42 grade one children in the class I'm in. 42!!
You don't see this in a Canadian classroom, either. Many of the children are HIV positive...
And yet, all children smile the way!
Myself and a few of my girls
Many of the students are struggling with homelessness, abuse, disease, and disabilities such as fetal alcohol syndrome. They live in cramped homes in the township with multitudes of people around them all the time. The speak Afrikaans in the classroom, but are learning English. The older ones are more fluent than the young, but luckily grade one goes slow enough that even in Afrikaans, I can generally follow along.
The children are academically much lower than my grade one's in Canada. These students are half why through their year and are still doing numbers to 10 and counting. Many have needs that simply can't be met. In Canada these children would be identified and tested, here the teacher just struggles to get things done and there's no such thing as a special needs student.
Another thing that shocked me was how physical the children are with one another. They will slap, hit, push, shove, and generally fight but there are rarely tears. It's just how they've be brought up. With me they are all hugs.
I am in awe of the teachers here. With such large classes and little support they give their all each and every day. They struggle to maintain control and have so many needs. I don't envy them, but I sure do admire and respect them. I'm learning so much by watching and helping them.
Next post... SAFARI!!
The children are academically much lower than my grade one's in Canada. These students are half why through their year and are still doing numbers to 10 and counting. Many have needs that simply can't be met. In Canada these children would be identified and tested, here the teacher just struggles to get things done and there's no such thing as a special needs student.
Another thing that shocked me was how physical the children are with one another. They will slap, hit, push, shove, and generally fight but there are rarely tears. It's just how they've be brought up. With me they are all hugs.
I am in awe of the teachers here. With such large classes and little support they give their all each and every day. They struggle to maintain control and have so many needs. I don't envy them, but I sure do admire and respect them. I'm learning so much by watching and helping them.
Next post... SAFARI!!
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