We have been in South Africa now for just over 6 months! We have finished our first three months at our site. This first three months (Phase 2 of PC training) is supposed to be an information gathering period where you get to know your community and organization. The people working in NGOs did a needs assessment. The education volunteers have “assignments” that become a report. Then for Phase 3 our whole group gathers for IST (In Service Training) with our supervisors. We learned all about project management and planned a project with our supervisors. I chose a fairly small project because I thought I actually might get it done. It doesn’t involve as many educators (teachers) as I’d like but it will be helpful. Currently the text books, workbooks and materials are either in stacks on the floor in one of the staff rooms or in the small “offices” off the classrooms that each teacher has. There is no inventory or list of what is available. One educator is supposed to keep track of everything and sign materials in and out but I’m not sure how well that is being done. My proposed project is to create, with that educator, a Resource Center where all the materials can be housed in an organized fashion. We’ll make a list to hand out to all the educators of what materials and books are available. My supervisor, who is the school principal, assures me there is money in this year’s school budget to buy the bookcases and cabinet we might need. He thinks it is a good idea and together we’ll present it to the staff at the first staff meeting after the break (mid July). I hope to have the Center open by September. Richard and his supervisor wrote a much more ambitious plan for a computer center at the high school. They hope to have it open for the beginning of the next school year in January 2012.
There were several great things about IST. It was held outside of Pretoria in a conference center with heat, hot showers and wonderful food. After a week + of this it will be hard to go back to baths in a plastic tub. Also it was wonderful to see the other PCVs in our group, most of whom we hadn’t seen since PST, 3 months ago. Of the 46 who started only one had “ET”ed. (Early Termination – i.e. quit and gone home early). We got to tell our story of our site, host family and experiences at the schools and hear about everybody else’s. . Most people have one or two things to grumble about but are still glad they are here and were glad of the opportunity to be with their supervisors for 5 days. few are feeling that they are not beeing utilized and have too much time with nothing to do. One of our group asked for photos we had taken and put together a fabulous slide show that made us realize how much we had all been through together.
On the way here (my supervisor gave us a ride) we stopped at a gas station and saw several monkeys just hanging around – not pets. They lived in the woods behind the gas station. Another reminder I’m not in Kansas anymore. We got to see quite a bit of country on our 5 hour drive here. Fewer mountains, lots of hills but also some flatter country. Before we left our village Richard and I took a long walk up river from our house. There were mountains on the other side of the river and we saw in the distance and heard baboons or monkeys.
My garden is finally doing well (see pictures). We even ate a few green beans right from the garden just before we left. I can’t wait to see it when I get back on Tuesday. My biggest fear is that the goats where we live will break out of their pen and eat everything up before I get a chance to.
We leave IST tomorrow and are spending the night at a backpackers in Nelspruit and then back to our village the next morning. Richard has volunteered to help some Grade 12 learners there. They have a vacation school for the people who have to take the big exam, the Matric, in December. The Matric is a week + of tests that determines whether they graduate from high school or not.
We are still struggling with the local language but have found a tutor (PC will repay us a minimal amount for one – if we put ours together it comes out to a sort of reasonable amount). We’ve met with him once a week for 1 ½ hrs five times. He is a teacher at my school who lives in the village. Some progress but learning a new language at this age is not easy. Educators at school all have enough English to communicate but if I want to work with the younger children, it will help a lot if I can speak their language.
Next term, which starts mid-July, I have a pretty full teaching schedule. Not only will I continue working with the younger children but I’ll be spending an hour a week with each English class in Grades 4 – 7 and teaching a Grade 7 Natural Science class. (See schedule below) The previous science teacher was elected as Ward Counselor (sort of on the level of our state representatives – not the ones to Washington but to the state capitol) and is resigning. I’ve been told it can take up to 6 months to hire a replacement. Meantime the learners have no teacher for that class!!!
TERM 3 - 2011
Personal Schedule - Mokgadi (my African name)
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | LB | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | SB | 11 | 12 | 13 | ||
Time | 7:40 | 8:10 | 8:40 | 9:10 | 940 | 10:20 | 10:50 | ` 11:20 | 11:50 | 12:20 | 12:30 | 1:00 | 1:30 | ||
Monday | N S | 7A | Gr 2 | Gr R | L B | Gr | 3 | N S | 7B | S B | |||||
Tuesday | N S | 7A | O R | Gr 1 | Eng | 5A | H R | N S 7B | |||||||
Wednesday | N S | 7A | N S | 7B | N E | Eng | 7A | Eng 4 | O E | Eng | 5B | Library Open until 2:30 | |||
Thursday | Gr 1 | Gr R | G A | N S 7B | N S 7A | Gr 3 | R A | Library Open until 2:30 | |||||||
Friday | Gr 2 | K | Eng 6 | Eng 7B | T K | ||||||||||
Well, I’ll sign off for now and I’ll post this in the morning before we leave the hotel. Got to go pack.
Emily
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