Back to School

Monday was the first day of school with Thandeka, Ms. Thandeka that is! So excited, happy, anxious...every feeling one could get for the first day of school – keeping in mind this was one of the only times in my life I have actually looked forward to going back to school. And WOW!! We arrived to Soheko Primary School in time for morning assembly – better than any assembly I've ever witnessed…and they do it every morning! The children line up in front of the teachers and principal – according to grade and gender – and sing a variety of songs, some prayers, some “good morning” songs, and some “thank you” songs. FANTASTIC...especially since all the kids harmonized perfectly and even had little choir-like choreography to go with it! Now THAT is how to start a day.

Thandeka teaches English on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays to the 4-6th graders, so this morning, I was able to just meet, greet, and converse with the kids. Upon request, many of kids wanted to sing and dance for us...so whoever wanted to get up in front of the 5th and 6th grade classes could! And did they ever!! The kids got up in duos, trios, larger groups, and the very brave ones headed up to the front solo to sing a variety of songs, mainly those they learned in school and church, for us. One girl even sang “The Weakness in Me” – that was so much fun to compare her interpretation of the song against the versions I've heard by recording artists in the States. I'm not sure if I was just caught up in the moment, everything being sooo new and different, but all the kids sounded SO GOOD – all on pitch, all harmonizing with each other, all knowing exactly when to do steps and when to stop! Many were shy performing in front a new visitor, but you could just SEE how much they loved what they were doing, how much music was a part of their lives, and how they would secretly do that all day long if that was an option. Same applied for the dancing...the group would form a circle, start providing a steady beat with either a song or repetitive percussive sounds made using their mouths, and take turns entering the middle to shake a leg and showcase their favorite moves. The two most popular trends in the dancing styles of this group were lots of weaving leg action (turning a bent leg inward and outward) and what I like to call the “dinosaur” – much like the robot, but imitating the movements of the ancient reptile...bringing a hand around the opposite side of their head and back around to starting position was a popular move. Crazy dancing + astounding singing + continuous smiling + seeing Thandeka in her element x seeing the obvious influence she has had on these children = Unforgettable Experience and Honor. (Also, this was a fantastic first experience with the children because they all did something unique that I could later refer back to when trying to memorize their names!)

The next three days were spent observing how Thandeka teaches her three grades and helping out when and where I could. Thandeka really made me feel included, which is such a blessing. She was very good at creating lesson plans to utilize an extra body - the class would be split into two groups, each working on a different activity for half the class time, and then each group would switch activities. This really allowed me to see how each child’s English had progressed since having Thandeka as a teacher. My goodness these kids are SHARP! As a class, we read stories, did reading comprehension activities, played Bingo with a board of vocabulary words, wrote sentences about what was read in class, and had question/answer time. For most of the kids here, school and education seem to be incredibly important – many kids try so hard to understand what is being taught and there is rarely any griping when homework is assigned. I can see that many children are challenged and want to continue being challenged by the schoolwork Thandeka provides. From what I understand, it is often the teaching method to come into the classroom, write what you want to teach on the board, and then leave the room without providing any explanations or fielding any questions. This might be another reason as to why I think Thandeka is helping them learn more than anyone is aware, as she always explains what she is teaching, goes over it many times, help individuals who need it, ask for the kids’input, and provides an open floor for questions. But above all, she is respectful of them, possibly the single most important difference of all – and some of the kids sense this...they act and react as kids who are cared for and loved. And they are!

The biggest challenge I have had personally over this very short time is mastering the children's names. It is so great to hear how well Thandeka knows each of her kids – she knows their learning styles, what they are capable of, and how best to engage them in a certain activity...in addition to what each aspires to be when they get older, who has a really great voice, who are the best dancers, who wants to be the celebrity, who each likes to hang out with – and the list goes on and on. Inspired, I tried hard all week to try and use the children’s names as much as possible...serious memory issues aside, it is coming along because the kids' names are so important and often representative of their personalities. For example, some exhibited their names in their everyday demeanor – Happy, Success, Realeboga (meaning “we give thanks”) – and most it is a very random association...like I remember California because she is long and tall, Benny because he wants to be a celebrity (so I associate it with Ben E. King), and George because he is curious?
Like I said, I still haven't mastered them all.

Friday, Katy and I headed to Pretoria to pick up the Chico and head over to Badplaas to give it another try for the horseback riding with Jean. Lucky with the weather, we all climbed atop our horses and followed Alpheus through the huge hills of the resort's private game reserve. There were sun rays pushing through clouds EVERYWHERE, illuminating hill peaks, houses, and animal packs! The pace for the ride was perfect - medium walking pace - especially since we were working with half a saddle (looked like a toilet seat curved to fit the lines of a horse) and really high stirrups (where it felt like we were leaning forward with our feet tucked up behind us the whole time). Good times. And although we loved Alpheus and had to put our trust in him, there were times when I had to question his actions...such as when he walked us right in front of a kudu, a massive animal with sharp, knife-like horns and, for all we knew, a very short temper. But, being the good man that he is, Alpheus knew he wasn't ever putting us in any serious danger - thanks for that, Alpheus! We saw zebra and kudu(really close-up), springbok, waterbuck, heart-beasts (?), wildebeests, and impala. The environment was simply astonishing and it was quite a rush to BE among these beautiful animals. After the equally amazing ride back to the stables, we stopped at Gangsters one last time - now that Thandeka and I know the staff as well, it seemed like the only thing to do. We took a night trip to Barberton for some dessert at a really cute cafe and fully enjoyed having the Chico, cruising with the music full blast and the wind in our hair! One thing I have learned...do not take reliable, timely public transportation or having a car for granted! They are A-Mazing! And so was our weekend getaway. This is the last few days of my trip, so I'm off to enjoy every moment of them!