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| Our St Davids day celebration! Some of the 2000 children which turned up! |
Tuesday 25 March 2014
Sunday 23 March 2014
Kathryn Morgan
We planned for St. David’s Day together in one of our workshop
sessions. We thought of a parade followed by a small Eisteddfod. But you know
how these things tend to grow! We ended up with 9schools participating and
approximately two thousand children!!! All seven schools that we work with took
part plus two other high schools turned up and contributed too.
We hoped the weather would be kind to us as there had been
rain earlier in the week – and the rain here is something else!! The sun was
shining, not a cloud in the sky and it promised to be a beautiful day. The
event started at 8.30am meeting at Moyeni Primary school. We eventually got the
parade underway at about 9.20am. A surge of children waving Welsh and Lesotho
flags they had made followed the large Welsh flags at the front. The children
sang and danced as we went around Upper Moyeni. It was an amazing sight!
I had organised for the police to help with the parade and they
arrived promptly – unusual for Basotho! They walked with us and dealt with
traffic issues as well as helping to keep the children safe on the road.
This was followed by a Basotho style Eisteddfod in the grounds
of Moyeni Primary School. I had organised a loud speaker system so we were able
to introduce the items. We had poetry and a short story written by the high
school students taught by Will; songs in Welsh and English from all the primary
schools taught by Scott, Kim, Ellie, Ffion and myself; songs in Sesotho and
some traditional dancing. The other two high schools sang a Welsh and Sesotho
songs and danced traditional dances – even though they were not on the
programme!
The whole day was absolutely amazing!
It will be a part of us all forever.
The
Programme.
1.
Poem; Cultural Rainbow
2.
Villa Maria: Mamelang mohoo oa rona ; Bheso
mamelang ; Din da oedd Dewi ; Marching to Heaven One Day.
3.
Short story; My Friends Story
4.
Poem: Good Nation
5.
Holy Trinity: I Like the Flowers; 2 Sesotho songs;
Un bys, dau fys
6.
Poem; The Kingdom in the Sky
7.
Holy Infant; Sechaba Tholang le mamele; Ay lan y
mor; Sehlabelo Saka Ke’na ka sebele
8.
Poem; Lesotho
9.
Poem; Kohle lo phela ke
10. Katleho; Clap
clap un, dau, tri; Head Shoulders Knees and Toes sung in English, Sesotho and
Welsh. Drama linking St. David
preaching the word of God to the people of Wales to the arrival of the
missionaries in Lesotho; Song; Step by Step We Will Follow Jesus Christ.
11. Poem;
Ubuhle dhe nq ndawo
12. Poem;
Lesotho
13. Phahameng:
This Little Light of Mine English and Welsh; Diphotha – traditional dance; A
Basotho dance
14. Moyeni;
Sesotho dance; Welsh song; Sesotho song
15. National
Anthems.
A full programme!!
Ellie Masters
Again I’ll start
with.. What a couple of weeks we’ve had!!
So was very proud
of all the schools I’d worked with after St Davids day, they all worked so hard
and sang amazingly (As they always do, they really do just have natural
talent).
Straight after our long St Davids day
celebrations we had to go and sort out all of the school aid books which had
been delivered. Was amazing to have so many books to give to the schools, but
was a killer sorting well over three thousand books, especially after a really
long day! Did treat ourselves in the evening though to some seriously good
pizza, yes we’ve found a place that sells pizza, we never know what’s on it,
but it tastes good!
Back to the hard graft of day to day work,
and some grim weather, you’ll all be glad to hear!
We’ve actually had to wear trousers to
school on a couple of days too!!
We’ve all been visiting other schools past
few weeks, so I made the most of having Kim come to Holy Trinity. She helped
teach a Pie Corbett lesson which the children absolutely loved, I don’t think
they’ve ever seen anyone bounce around the classroom in that way! Also helped
me to teach a really fun P.E lesson, again the children were just loving having
balls which weren’t semi inflated or falling apart!
Holy Trinity are really lucky that they
have a great space for the children to come and read, a lot especially the
grade sevens still queue up at lunch times so that I can listen to them read.
Hearing the children using what they have learnt in their phonics lessons is
making things worthwhile!
Going to be doing some lesson with grade
sevens on the computers in the next couple of weeks, as they don’t know how to
turn one on or off, then hopefully they can be the ones to teach the younger
years.
Kath came out to visit to see how much the
teachers have been taking things on board, and to watch some team teaching, see
if they have learnt any of the techniques which we have been doing with them.
She came and watched grade threes teacher doing a phonics lesson, well I was
like a proud mother watching her kid take their first steps, I couldn’t believe
my eyes, she did everything so well, and the children really enjoyed the
lesson. She was animated, walking around the room, praising, recapping work,
the works. It was amazing!
So Villa Maria, what a school, as I’ve said
I have to split my time between the two schools, so I spend three days a week
in this school.
It’s such a huge school, and all the
teachers are all wanting a piece of me (I can’t believe I’m this wanted!!) each
year has two or three streams, so getting round everyone is tricky. I’m trying
to get all the teachers to communicate effectively, so I’m not repeating lesson
and we can make better progress as a school.
The teachers have been absolutely
brilliant, and are taking on so much of what I’m asking them to do. I went into
a class the other day just to pop in and ask her something and she was doing a
brilliant phonics lesson on her own, doing everything that we do! Getting
children up to create words using their phonics to help them spell.
Kath also came into watch some teaching in
this school to. I’m so lucky that there is a teacher that will take on any
challenge I set, so she taught a Pie Corbett lesson, which again, was brilliant,
really taking everything on board!
Some of the spaces in this school make
teaching a challenge, because the school is an old convent and they have to
make use of every room. Grade three classes are in the old cold stores so try
to imagine how dark and cramped it is. About half of the children have to do
their work on their laps because there aren’t enough tables, and they keep
their bags on their backs, because there isn’t any space for them to put them
anywhere else.
The schools all got together (well 5 of
them) and had athletics day, cannot believe the children, they’re so hard core,
they all run bare foot, could you imagine in the UK running 1500m in bare foot,
again crazy stuff!
The school had been practising so much
during the week and I had been talking to the teacher in charge of athletics
about warming up, and stretching (knew A-level P.E would come in useful one
day, thanks Rachel Dathen) they have very little understanding about how the
body and the muscles work. They asked me to go and do the warm up with the kids
at the competition, was hilarious, standing in the middle of this field with so
many children following me, other schools joined in too!! Kath and I watched
with Villa Maria school. So many students had turned up to support, and were
singing and dancing and cheering so loudly, there were trumpets and whistles,
and they do this call which is very high pitched and is almost like them ‘LAing’
very quickly, we tried it and just sounded like strangled cats!
The children did so well, got some really talented
runners in that school!
The social life is still pretty packed and
exciting, thanks to our friends the Mitchells. Had and amazing walk up Mount
Moorosi. Was really interesting to visit as it was where the British had
battled with King Moorosi’s son in the 1800s, over hut tax (standard British
and their taxes!) We found old shrapnel and bullet holes.
Had a lovely weekend away with the Mitchells
on their farm in South Africa, beautiful place, and I went for an incredible
ride with Kath and Scott up in the mountains, perfect way to take in the scenery
for 3 hours on a crazy little pony that was so fast.
Went and saw some beautiful cave paintings,
and swimming in a freezing waterfall!
We even managed to watch Wales play England
(so annoying they lost!)
Got a packed few weeks ahead of us up till
Easter, can’t believe we’re over half way through already, still so much to fit
in!
Kim Tattum
So
it’s been a little while since I last wrote a blog piece and a lot has happened
since. I am truly settled in my working and living environment, I am almost
fully Basotho! Working with the teachers at Phahameng Primary is a joy and the
children are always so excited to have me teach!
Teaching at Phahameng
Since
last time I have been officially observed by my Welsh mentor and everything
went smoothly, I couldn’t have been happier. I have been showing the Basotho
teachers the art of storytelling. I
recently introduced Pie Corbett style for the ‘Three Billy Goats Gruff’ and
using cardboard puppets on sticks for ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’. The teachers
who observe me think I’m barking mad, because they don’t see teaching with that
much enthusiasm and life normally. I just love to be silly and get into
character! Needless to say they all find it very gripping and funny.
The
children enjoyed learning new vocabulary about their body in Grade 1, singing
head, shoulders, knees and toes; Simon says, and chalking a large body on the wall with
labels. They were so keen to do their own; some used chalk to trace their
friend’s body, others used items from the environment like sticks, stones and
grass, to create a body. The children were so happy to be active.
I
have been continuing my phonic sessions in the lower classes and have recently
introduced it to the teenagers in my school; they are all grasping it very
quickly. The teachers are amazed to have the tool of using phonics. Some of
these teachers have struggled with English for many years, but now it’s
beginning to make sense for the learners and teachers.
Visiting Ellie at Holy
Trinity
I
had the opportunity to visit Ellie in her school Holy Trinity last week. We
were team teaching to show the Basotho teachers how it can be done. I also had
the opportunity to help Ellie with her Physical Education lessons of throwing
and catching skills, needless to say an extra pair of hands with so many
children helped a great deal. I had a great day meeting staff and children in
Holy Trinity but my heart is still in Phahameng Primary.
St David’s Day Celebration
St
David’s Day celebration was amazing! In total 9 schools, approximately 2000
children parading with Wales and Lesotho flags, and performing in a Lesotho
style Eisteddfod. A superb show! Of course Phahameng were the best in my eyes,
they performed: ‘This little light of mine’ in English and Welsh, diphotha
(boys dance) and traditional dance for the girls ‘mohiba’. I was very proud of
all the children. Their behaviour and concentration levels were outstanding, 7
hours in the heat of the day, was very impressive.
Moyeni Primary Celebrate
Moshoeshoe Day
Moyeni
Primary celebrated the founder of their country King Moshoeshoe, by wearing
traditional costume, eating traditional food, dancing, singing, races. Everyone
was so happy. A wonderful day to mark a special occasion! Words cannot do the
event justice!
Reading partnership
I
have been assisting my Welsh colleague at a different primary with reading
scheme involving high school students. We have held a few workshops and now the
students are implementing what they have learnt with the children from the
partnering primary. A few times I have shed a tear; it’s very overwhelming to
see the students do such a great job with the little children. They have so
much enthusiasm for storytelling and encouraging them to read with plenty of
affection. A very fond memory that I shall keep forever!
As a result of this success and the help of
school aid books, Scott and I will be working together to transform their dull,
uninviting library into a welcoming space. Watch this space!!
Athletics day
The
Basotho people take their athletics very seriously; the whole school has been
attending after school athletics 4 nights a week since February and this will
continue. Some were competing whilst others were cheering with songs.
Athletics
day was held at a school called Pokane, it was a whole day event where schools
from the district competed. Phahameng had amazing results. The children were
fed bread and milk at the event, and the athletes had an extra apple as a big
well done! The staff were catered for with rice, chicken and coleslaw, a very
delightful meal. Phahameng’s spirit and dedication for each other is amazing!
Cultural Experiences
Church
I
have attended church, the Basotho people are very religious and love to sing
and dance in worship. The Basotho have great rhythm and in their ceremonies
often have the beat of a steel drum, it automatically puts a smile on your face
even if you can’t contribute to the Sesotho songs. A 2 hour ceremony: singing, dancing and
preaching, a very joyous occasion.
Funeral
Unfortunately
Lesotho is known as ‘Kingdom in the Sky’ and therefore is very vulnerable to
thunder and lightning. This one particular storm saw a young girl from one of
our schools loose her life. We all attended her funeral. Very different
ceremony to what you might expect. The ceremony was held at her father’s home
under a marquee, lots of singing and speeches all in their mother tongue
Sesotho, followed by a burial and a feast to remark respect of her life. The
ceremony was beyond 4 hours. Crowds of people attended, including her school
choir who sang beautifully from the heart.
Basotho
dinner with my colleague and his family
I
was invited for dinner one evening by my colleague and jumped to the
opportunity. I was very intrigued to see how Basotho live. My colleague lives
in a very modern house with land. There are two bedrooms in separate buildings,
a living space, modern kitchen with microwave, two ovens, gas and electric
(they often experience power cuts, but gas is expensive), fridge freezer, and
outdoor toilet. They would bathe in a steel tub in their bedroom. Most Basotho
keep animals and land for vegetables. They are very self-sufficient and very
much live in a community and share their crops with their neighbours.
Pork
and Soda bread was on the menu. They keep pigs; luckily the meat was already
prepared and ready for defrosting!! My colleague fetched the wood to prepare a
fire outdoors, I seasoned the meat, and after the flames had settled the meat
was ready to be cooked. The most delicious pork I have tasted in a very long
time! Basotho love to share their food. We had a dish in the middle with pork
and bread, and it was a help yourself set up.
Other
Personal Experiences
I
have had lots of fun in my personal time at weekends. We have met a very kind
South African family who are very active and love adventure. So far I have been
to a dam near Zastron and tried rowing, boating, swimming and waterskiing.
We
visited Mount Moorosi and climbed or scrambled (depending how long your legs
are) to the top where the views were spectacular. Sitting on the edge of the
cliff was such a breathtaking moment. Mount Moorosi is historically rich and
our guide Scott was very informative. There were remnants of the war on the
mountain, rifle cartridges, from the 1800’s when there was a six month skirmish
between the king’s son and the British. At the top of the mountain we had a
delightful picnic.
We
visited a farm in South Africa for a bit of relaxation. Met the local tennis
club at Wartrail and tried to play a few games. Unfortunately the four Welshies
seemed to be practicing picking the ball up from the floor rather than hitting
it correctly. I also had the opportunity to go on nice walks, visit cave
paintings and try horse riding, something I was not overly confident with, but
have now discovered a new joy in life.
Ffion Mullane
So time
is still flying! Cannot believe we are more than halfway through!
School
is still going well and the children are still enjoying and engaging really
well and the teachers seem to be taking ideas on board which is lovely to see.
I did a letter writing lesson, where the children wrote letters to students in
Wales. They were so excited and amazed when I told them these letters would be
sent to Wales (which I have since sent). The library is all set up in the back
of Grade 1A (a mixture of school aid books, and books already in the school),
and the teachers and principal seem impressed with what I’ve done, so fingers
crossed, it will still be respected and used when I‘ve left. I’ve had the
chance to celebrate both St David’s Day and Moshoeshoe Day with the school –
both experiences I will never forget. St David’s Day was just the most amazing
day, and was great to share it with all the other schools and teachers. I was
fortunate enough to experience their national day with them this week. I was
able to help prepare and make their national bread in the lead up to the day,
and was given a Seshoeshoe to wear. Turning up to the school and seeing all the
children and teachers in so many different, colourful outfits was amazing. It
took a while for it to get started, and the children got to see some of the
national dishes which had been prepared by the staff, before beginning the
celebrations. It was quite similar to our eisteddfod, in the sense that there
was a lot of singing and dancing, but this was started with a bottle race,
needle race, apple race and a sack race – health and safety not such a worry
over here!! Once we had finished by singing the national anthem, it was time
for teachers and parents to have some of
the foods, which were different but not too bad. Our school took part in
athletics this week along with several other schools, in the zonal rounds,
which again was nice to experience. Again, took a while to get started but when
it did, the races were pretty smooth running. Their athletics is mainly
running, and they were so fast! Running barefoot is not something I could do on
ground like this. The children were supporting and singing – it was lovely.
Our
social life is still pretty good! We’ve climbed Mount Moorosi where we enjoyed
a lovely picnic at the top. We also enjoyed a weekend at the Mitchells farm
where we played tennis, horse riding, walks to see the cave paintings and
waterfall, a picnic by the waterfall and a braai.
Monday 24 February 2014
Time is flying!!
A viewpoint from the mentor!
You have read all about our experiences in the first couple of
weeks which have been varied. Then it was down to the teaching and learning. It is also my job to make sure things are
going well. I teach for 3 days, 2 in Katleho and 1 in Villa Maria and then I
have time to fulfil my mentor role. During the first week in February I visited
all the schools to meet with the Principals, the in-school mentor and the Welsh
teacher. On the whole these went very well with a few issues here and there
that I am working on. The schools are so welcoming it is a real pleasure to
visit them.
We decided to change the date of our workshop for planning St.
David’s Day from the Monday to the previous Friday in order to give ourselves
more time and to prepare for the party we had planned for all the principals
and in-school mentors on the Saturday afternoon. We went big in our ideas for
St. David’s Day with a parade and a kind of Eisteddfod. All the schools are
going to parade around Upper Moyeni waving Welsh and Lesotho flags. We are then
going to perform some items that we will prepare in school for each other. It
has been my role to seek permission from the police, speak to the senior
education officer, to organise a loud speaker system, create a running order
and make sure the schools bring lunch! I will let you know if we pull it off!
We had invited the friends we have made out for a meal but
when the boys tried to book it, they weren’t doing food that evening, so we
quickly decided to make our own pizzas! With some improvisation we made them
and they were pretty good! Somehow this became a later night than planned but
luckily we had made the cawl and Welsh cakes ready for the party on Saturday.
So a leisurely morning followed by tidying and cleaning etc. This was when we
realised the cawl we had made had gone off!! All this whilst making more Welsh
cakes. So it was all hands on deck, sending people out to the shops, people
chopping and me cooking. It all got done with 20 mins to spare – what a team!!!
The party was superb! And that was not down to our cooking but
to the guests themselves. It was quite formal at first with slow conversations
as all parties are. I made a welcome speech and thanked them for taking us into
their schools and into their hearts. We gave them their cawl and Welsh cakes
and then the party really started. They began singing and dancing and it was
amazing! I can’t quite imagine my local head teachers doing quite the same.
What a wonderful time we had together. A few of the principals decided to give
speeches themselves and one of my principals gave me another Basotho name. She
called me Makopano which means ‘unity’. She said I am the ‘mother of unity’
because I have brought everyone together and united us forever. We will be
forever joined and have become family. That was a beautiful experience for me.
The next week continued as normal until I had a phone call
from a member of the LWL committee saying she was going to come and visit all
the schools next week. I had already planned for this to be formal observation
week. I also had a phonics workshop to present. A busy week again but it all
got done because we had an invitation to spend the weekend at a house by the
side of a dam in South Africa by our new found friends. We weren’t going to
miss this! And a good job everyone had this to look forward to as they did all
their planning and preparation in order to have a relaxing weekend. And what a
weekend! I got to drive a speed boat, go paddle boarding, went flying off a banana
boat numerous times, swim, sunbathe, read, eat, play games, dance and relax. A
superb ending to another two weeks here in Lesotho.
Formal observation week this week so I’ll let the others share
their experiences with you. I am currently writing reports, preparing more
workshops, organising meetings and working towards St. David’s Day so I’d
better get on with it!!
Kathryn
Ellie Masters
Another packed couple of weeks here in Lesotho!
Our social life is getting more and more full, and we’re
definitely enjoying our weekends.
Had our first experience of Basotho Church, was very
interesting, the singing was amazing, so much of it, and they had this cracking
drum thing that was very impressive. We didn’t exactly understand a whole lot
of the service as it was all in Sesotho, but the congregation appreciated us
going, and a few of the teachers go there, so they really appreciated it.
Spent the
afternoon at our new friends, the Mitchells place again they’d organised some
local horses for us to go out on, was amazing went so high up into the
mountains, the views were spectacular and no picture does it justice. These
ponies were amazing too, they were just jumping down these boulders, I kept
being told to stop riding mine and leave it sort itself out, pretty unnerving
stuff!
Ended the
day having a lovely Braai (BBQ) and a dip in the pool.
Another few
weeks in school, and I can safely say I’m learning a lot. The class sizes I’m
finally getting used to, and having to make a lot of use of the Basotho
teachers, the children just don’t understand our accent, so even though the
teachers say the same thing it makes a lot more sense coming from them! Been
teaching a whole lot of phonics, and bringing in the reading scheme it’s nice
to see the children actually using it in their reading. It’s so tough for them
having their whole curriculum in English, but it’s their second language, so it’s
great being able to give them something to use that makes sense and really does
help.
Also taught
a P.E lesson, it did seem pretty chaotic, but it was as if the children had
never seen balls before, they were so excited it was unbelievable, and all they
want to do is carry the stuff for you.
Having some
new footballs in a lesson was actually like Christmas!
Been doing
some craft things with the grade ones, using food colouring as paint, they
absolutely love it, they’ve never had the opportunity to be kids and make a
mess!
Still
spending time with the boy who has Autism,
Had a pretty
interesting weekend as Kath Mentioned, having most the head teachers and the
mentors over to our house, who all sang and danced for us, was very surreal,
and they absolutely loved the cawl we made, (even if it was minus the meat as
we had to chuck the meat version) welsh cakes went down an absolute treat, who’d
have thought the first time I made cawl and welsh cakes would have been in
Africa!
Spent a few
days in Katleho and Villa Maria, we’ve come up with such extravagant ideas for
our St. Davids day celebrations Kath didn’t think she’d have time to teach the
other schools the things ready for it, so I went in to do some things. Luckily
she was there to help with the Villa Maria choir, as it was huge, and very
daunting!
The teachers
in these schools are so desperate to have a teacher more often so hopefully I’ll
be able to do more with them, they’re so keen to learn, and take on anything
you ask!
As Kath also
mentioned we had observation week, I honestly felt like I was back doing PGCE,
luckily it didn’t end up being that bad, and was all fine, the kids behaved
really well, and lesson was pretty smooth.
Had great
fun on our weekend away with the Mitchells at their house in Zastron, such a
beautiful place, and its bonkers that the boarder is so close to us. Had so
much fun playing on the dam, driving the boat, on the jet ski, injuring myself
falling off the banana boat, eating and relaxing.
This weekend
ended up going to a funeral for a young girl from Moyeni Primary school, she
had been struck by lightening, apparently its quite common around here, was so
sad, but definitely an experience. Many people stood up and talked over the
duration of 4 hours (again we didn’t understand) and the schools choir sang.
Got a whole
lot coming up in the next week with Sharon coming to visit, and carrying on
with our Welsh work in preparation for our eisteddfod and parade for St. Davids
day.
Still find
myself having a wow moment at least once a day, be it good or bad, this places
never ceases to amaze me.
Ffion Mullane
So what a couple of weeks! We’ve
experienced a church service which was full of singing and dancing – very
different to the services at home! We have also been to a braii at the
mitchells house and had a swim in their pool , which was lovely – was like being
on holiday!
Teaching still going well and the children
and teachers are still engaging very well. I’m doing a lot of welsh activities
this week in preparation for our St Davids day celebrations on Friday. Were
doing a parade around upper Moyeni, then an eisteddfod, where each school will
present a couple of items to everyone. If we pull it off it will be brilliant.
Will be nice for them to experience a welsh celebration. I will be doing a
mixture of art and crafts, welsh lessons, singing and dawnsio gwerin this week,
aswell as meeting the choir and doing some dawnsio disgo with grade 4s –
hopefully all will be ok on the day!
We have also been trying to make the most
of our weekends. Last weekend, we all headed to the dam with the mitchells
which was near Zastron. It was so peaceful there and the views were amazing. We
had a weekend of eating, talking, sunbathing, swimming, water sports, speedboat
and paddling – we were living the dream!
I was being observed on the Monday morning
after our weekend and the dam – good motivation to get my work done before our
weekend so that I could relax on the weekend. I was the first to be observed
and I taught grade 3 phonics. The observation went well, with good and
constructive feedback.
Our school had some sad news last week. One
of the class 6 students was struck and killed by lightening on her way home
from school. We have a few thunderstorms in the evening, even though it is
still warm. It is not unusual for someone to be struck by lightening. That day
was a very somber one for the school. We went to the funeral this weekend. It
was an experience. None of us expected it to last 4 hours!! There were lots of
singing and speeches, and the school choir sang a few items. By the end of the
service we were all hot, thirsty and hungry.
Kaths late edition
Well – where do I start??
Observation week and week 1 of teaching were spent in two
schools Katleho English medium school which is a privately run non-government
funded school. It is basically held in an old church hall with a small stage at
one end. In here are four classes; Grade 1, grades 2 and 3 are taught together,
grade 4 and standard 5. In a small building next door are standards 6 and 7. As
you can imagine, it is quite difficult to teach in these circumstances as you
can hear the other teachers. The older children are beautifully behaved and sit
quietly during lessons. However, this is an indicator of their lack of
participation and they are on the whole passive learners who repeat sentences
and copy from the board. This is so different from my school in Wales where
there is always a happy buzz of children engaged and actively learning. I spent
my time with grades 1,2 and 3 as this is where the principal would like the
focus of my work and as these are children aged between 5 to 8 I am more than
happy. The staff were a little suspicious of me at first and needed to be reassured
I was not an inspector, I was not there to judge but to become a team member
and that my intention is for us to work together. They have softened towards me
now and love a chat in the mornings. We all arrive at school by 7.15 and the
children play traditional games under teacher supervision. The older children
play so well with the younger ones, its lovely to see. The backdrop is stunning
with mountains around us. The children then stand in rows in their grades and
recite some rhymes, sing songs, say the Lord’s prayer and sing the National
Anthem. They then march into class and work begins at 8.00am. Usually either
grade 1 or grades 2/3 go outside and sit under a tree for lessons. Using the
outdoor environment for learning – I can hear your thoughts – but not in the
way we use it. They take out the chalk board and the children sit and rest
their books on their knees to copy from the board. They are used to this though
as there are no tables for these grades to use. Some of them have brought their
own plastic chairs, others the principal has brought. The Principal is a
lovely, enthusiastic lady who is aiming high. She founded the school and is
hoping to build a new school. She has found a location and has already met with
the officials.
The other school called Villa Maria is a very large Catholic
school. They now have almost 900 children on their register. It uses the
buildings of an old convent. The classes I have been working in are held in
what used to be the cold store rooms. They are very small rooms with about 35 –
40 children in each room. One teacher works there but doesn’t get paid! She has
worked there as a volunteer since last July and hasn’t been paid – the paper
work has not gone through. The rooms are quite dark and get very very cold in
the winter. The earth outside is like sand and it is very dusty. The children
have to sweep the classroom out at the end of every day using branches from a
tree. Every morning in both schools all the children line up in their year
groups outside with all the staff standing in front of them. They say prayers
and sing songs and then march off to class singing the song until they get
there. With 900 children this takes a while! The teachers here are keen to
learn and they all want me to go into their classes but with 3 classes per year
group that’s 21 classes so once again I am working with the grade 3’s. I am
enjoying being with the older children even though some of the work is the work
I do with Reception back home in Wales, the children are learning quickly and
it is a joy to see their faces when they achieve and also when they listen to a
story – it’s truly heart warming.
We have also spent some amazing time off with swims in a river,
Chinese New Year, a Braai (a bar-b-que) with a fantastic family who have been
kindness itself.
Saturday 1 February 2014
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