Herbert Hurd and Visiting/Painting a Township School

Good evening!

I had a fantastic day here in PE, South Africa. The roommates and I had school as usual. I took quite a bit of photos to show my classmates some of the interesting things that happen in the grade one classrooms at Herbert Hurd. My teacher friends and family out there will be interested too, I am sure. I will keep the explanations as brief as possible as to not bore the rest of you.

Ok. So pretty much all of the work that happens in this grade one classroom is seatwork/worksheets/copying from the board. This is a photo from today's writing/handwriting lesson. A couple of interesting points that I have gathered surrounding writing/handwriting in this classroom/HH are: Students must write a certain way. Their wrist may not be turned, their feet must be together and their heads should be up straight. There is a particular posture that the teachers are looking for in student writing. Also, the writing itself is and must be impecable. I told my co-op teacher that she would drop dead if she saw some of the handwriting in some of the grade one classes back home. Even the worse handwriting in this classroom (and the other classes I have seen) are lightyears beyond some of the kiddos back home. They value neat handwriting here.

Here is the teacher's template. Everything that the students do is either a worksheet or from a template on the board, including any and all creative writing.

This was a fun math activity that my co-op teacher lead. She would roll one die and then the other. The students would then have to count-on from the first number rolled as many as the second. It is basic/simple addition for beginners. The students were engaged!

Oh, PowerPoint! How the students love thee! But not the teachers... lol. This is a Letterland (curriculum) game that my co-op teacher plays for the students each week. The students make this colorful cartoon interactive by talking to it, answering questions and following along during the "writing portion" of the songs. The foundation phase classrooms (1-3) just got this projectors this school year. They are the first in the building to get them. A lot of the teachers are very nervous about this new tech, but they are willing to learn. Two of my roommates actually taught a teacher-lesson after instruction about creating/using PowerPoints. The things that we take for granted in the states...

For classroom management each student receives three blocks (shown here in yellow). As warnings (and for credits-- their reward system) the students are either awarded or docked blocks. When they run out of blocks they have detention. I have never heard of this system... I thought it was rather clever. It gives the students a visual warning as well as a verbal one.

Here is my co-op teacher working on "maths." They pluralize it here. Some things I will come home with and I think that some of these teacher-isms will be some of them. :)  The students are writing down exactly what she is writing. There are a couple of problems that they must work out on their own, including doubling and halving the number 6.

Here are two of my students working on their maths. The little girl on the left kept holding my hand today. The students are so warm and friendly. They just want to be loved. I love them already. :)

One thing that I really love about HH is that the students learn three different languages. It is an English school so that is the primary instruction language, but they also learn Afrikaans (the dutch derivation) and Xhosa (a main native language). Just walking down the street or sending a postcard at the Post, I hear so many people speaking in so many languages. It is such a cool thing. I love that HH supports the understanding and communication of all people.


After school today a couple that my roommates know through a teacher from school took us to a township school that they are helping to restore. They had us painting fun things on the walls of the grade R classroom (Pre-k/Kindergarten). While we were there they also put curtains up in the classroom.

Let me just say, the difference between HH and this township school was crazy. I seriously went from one extreme to the other. I took some pictures of the classroom we were working in as well as the school buildings themselves. I didn't get to take pictures of the classrooms that haven't been restored because the doors were locked-- maybe next time.

Lauren and I painted some mini chalkboards under the windows (there are full-length chalkboards in the rooms) as well as some crayons to spruce it up a bit! Britt and Claire were in another classroom painting crayons and the English alphabet.

This is Lauren painting her crayons. How lovely. She hates this purple-ish color that we made. That is why she is making the face.

This is the classroom in which we were working. You can see Lauren in the back by the windows.

These are two of the school buildings. The building on the left is the one we were painting. The windows on the far right, actually. The building on the right hosts several more classrooms as well as a school library. They are in need of more books if you would like to send some! I can get you the info any time. Also, you can always wire money and I can give it to the people restoring the school. :)

Here is one last photo from the parking lot. I almost died right here... almost got ran over by my own people. But I didn't and I am alive and well.

We are planning on going back next week to finish our work. It is such a great thing to be able to help out with things that mean so much to me. Kids getting an education in a building that is engaging and inspiring is a big deal. And so is meeting people that have such as passion for it as Jordi and Murray (the couple that coordinated the painting). They spend huge portions of their time and money rebuilding this school. Loooove it!


All good things come from God. This is truth.

Peace!

Sarah

Going Into My Second Week...

I have some new pics to post!

Sunday was a lazy day here at Brightways Holiday Flats. I walked a lot though... that is FO SHO. Here are some of the things that I've been seeing the past week:

Look at all of those snails! When I saw this walking by the beach I had to stop. Aloe plants grow like weeds out here. They are everywhere. Staci, every time I see one (which is pretty much daily) I think about you and your mama!

This is Shark Rock Pier. It is absolutely peaceful yet extremely windy out there. And so beautiful.

This is a view from the pier: some more of the PE coast line!

I see this sign/building walking down the beach from our apt to the Boardwalk plaza. R19.95 (the rand is the SA currency) is equivalent to $2.85. Super cheap food for peeps with the US dollar! I haven't eaten there... just thought it was relevant and interesting. Also, I think the place might be abandoned.

A view from Shark Rock Pier.

 Another view, this time looking down Shark Rock Pier.

Here is the beach at the Boardwalk/pier (this isn't the beach where I chill). Behind the beach (cool looking building-ish thing in the background) is the Boardwalk Plaza where we do lots of eating and browsing. There is an arcade (been there done that!), a movie theater and a major candy shop. Heaven! There is a pizza shop here that is pretty tasty. I miss tasty food. Like whoa.

Here is one more view from the pier. We live down that way, about a mile or so down. The natural sights as well as the architecture make this city stunning. There are some rough spots... a lot of downtown is run down. I haven't really been down that way except in the taxi on our way to Herbert Hurd. It is very very windy here but it feels more like a breeze most of the time... which is nice because the sun beats down on the city.

Tomorrow the roommates and I will be traveling to a township school to paint with a local charity organization that coordinates volunteer work and is raising money to renovate/build up the school. I will be posting pics of that for sure. Also, I will be posting more pics from Herbert Herd tomorrow sometime. My second day went well... got to do some teaching-- guided reading and some other stuff. So stay tuned for that...


I'm still hardcore homesick... working on managing that anxiety! I just miss you all SO MUCH! Mostly Bronson though. :)

See you in 57 days.

Sarah

Herbert Hurd Primary School

Yesterday was my first Friday in SA and also my first day (unofficially) at Herbert Hurd Primary School (grades 1-7). It is a very neat school. Let me show you what I'm talking about...

 This is the entrance to our classroom. There are hallways into other parts of the building, but this is mostly the way that the 1st grade class I am in gets to and from everything... they walk outside. YES! The school grounds (a very large and complex building) are completely fenced in with high security fences and gates. This is technically outside, but not outside of the grounds. The door is open all day. It is fantastic.

This is a side view of the classroom. The students line up every morning and after "break" (recess/lunch) on the patio near the building. The green that you see is part of the playground. There are other classrooms in this outside "hall" -- all 1st grade classes. There are 5 first grade classes in all at HH with between 15-27ish students in all. The largest class that my cooperating teacher has had in 1st grade is 39 students. Can you imagine? She told me that the township schools have had up to 63 students in one class... with one teacher.

These two views (above and below) are what you would see looking out from our classroom entrance. There is a play area, a shade hut, and some pretty nice tennis courts... because every child here is involved in "sport." The students have between 20-30 minutes for "break" when they play and eat at the same time. There are no monitors that I am aware of... or duties. Nicole, you would be so happy here... :)

There are some immaculate indoor swimming pools too (will post pics later). The students have phys-ed as a part of their regular classroom instruction-- which could, I guess, be categorized as a duty (sorry Nicole, maybe not). I'm not sure of the schedule, but most days students are on school grounds until 2-3ish  participating in "sport"-- which is mandatory (classroom instruction for 1st grade is over at 1). From what I have learned so far "sport"  includes: cricket, tennis, swimming, and football (soccer). I'm sure there are others but I will have to look into is.

 This is Mrs. Coomb-Davis' first grade classroom-- where I will be teaching for the next three weeks. There are 27 students in her class. As you can see it is very similar to a classroom in the Tusc/Stark area: tables & chairs (old ones!), a sink, chalk/white boards, charts, etc. There are many familiar "teachery" things here. The room is very spacious and has a sort of Robinson-Curuso feel to it... it must be a mixture of the hardwood floors, wooden furniture, wide-open space and sea breeze.

This is her magnetic weather/calendar chart. Everything is very similar. I don't know what I was expecting.


The most interesting thing that I have learned about the education system here is that all students must apply to both primary and high school-- kind of like a college application. And before they are accepted, they are interviewed by the teachers and administration. Students and families are recommended to apply to several schools because oftentimes they do not get into the school that they prefer. Herbert Hurd had 300+ applicants for this school year and could only take 150-some-odd students. Schools like Herbert Hurd are very much preferred in this area.

According to my cooperating teacher, schools here do no receive very much government funding which means that the students pay high fees to go to school. Because of this students' families also have to pay out of pocket for interventions such as occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech, etc. This means that oftentimes students (especially those from low-income families) don't get the help that they need. On a brighter side, however, teachers do after school interventions for free-- which is nice for those kids that just don't "get it" or need a little extra guidance.

According to my co-op teacher, SA, more specifically the Eastern Cape, has the same issues with school policies getting handed down from people in the education dept. that have never taught school. Different country, different latitude, different hemisphere... same problems.


The school building is amazing. The students are ornery (as they are at Park! :) ) and the art is pretty cookie-cutter. Students pack or buy their lunches, they have meetings at carpet, and the teachers eat in a lounge. There are similarities and differences, but for the most part, things are very much the same. This is just what I have learned so far from conversations and observations.


Peace!

Sarah (4:05pm)

The post you've all been waiting for...

Well,  I'm here! In Port Elizabeth, S.A., and I made it in one piece... a very tired and homesick piece... but I am alive and well.

I landed in Johannesburg, SA, last night around 5:30 pm (9:30am home-time), and into Port Elizabeth at approximately 9:20pm. My flight from Atlanta (change of itinerary at the last minute) to Jburg was 15 hours. Let me tell you what: that is a very long time to sit in a window seat. My legs were cramped cramped cramped. Next time, I'm choosing the aisle!

I watched a couple of movies on the plane and -- some of you would be proud-- I finally saw Inception. I'm not going to lie though, I didn't really like it all that much. It could have been because I was missing Bronson and DiCaprio's wife dies/is deadish and he was missing her. There were some cool elements, even still, didn't think it was as great as you all made it out to be... just saying.

This morning I hung out in our "flat" as it is called here in SA.

 Kitchen area

Living area and Britt's bedroom.

Our one and only bedroom.

I slept a bunch and when the girls got home (4 roommates as of today in a one bedroom apt-- AH!) we went to the beach.

The beach is beautiful. And sandy with some jagged rocky cliff areas. It's about a 2 minute walk down here.

Big waves and tons of surfers. I would like to learn how to surf while I am here. There is a couple here that the girls all know that own a business that takes tourists and locals on trips for charity. I met them today on the beach and they told me they could teach me to surf! Stay tuned for that post...
They also discussed going to an elephant park (to RIDE the elephants. What?!) later next week with one of my roommates. I will so be joining her. I just got here and there are already a million things to do.

*Bronson, someday, when we have some serious dollar, I am bringing you here. You would love the beach. The waves were pretty big and it was very relaxing... your kind of a beach, baby. You would be proud of me... I sat on the beach and read a book. :)


One of the gals, Andrea, walked me to the grocery store this afternoon. It is very similar to a Giant Eagle-- but about as small as an Aldi. They have some goodies from home, but the girls say that they aren't quite the same. So care packages of Skittles, Cheeseburgers, pizza, Unsweetened Tea and cake (the cake here was dry-- almost sandy) are appreciated. :)

I am watching Apollo 13 on TV at the moment. Another something from home.

Tomorrow I am going to Herbert Hurd. So, kiddos from Park and fellow student teachers at Kent... be prepared for some information and photos!



I love you all and I miss home terribly.
Goodnight!

Sarah  (8:10pm)

So Long, Farewell!

So Friday has come and gone and with it my local student teaching experience.

The students put together a surprise "farewell" party for me on Thursday while I was out getting vaccinations. They are creative and fun people, that is for sure. I posted some pictures from the event. I am going to miss Mrs. Miles and these kids so much!

 Mrs. Bailey made the cake. Isn't it awesome?! She also made cute cute animal cookies to go along with everything. The students made the banner behind me, a book with pictures and notes to me, and Mrs. Miles compiled a slideshow video which may or may not have made me cry... I am a blessed girl!

One last photo with the kiddos. What a fantastic 6 months it has been with this group.

See you in Africa!

Sarah

Bittersweet

Tomorrow is my last day student teaching with Mrs. Miles' class. What a bittersweet day. Though I am looking forward to leaving for South Africa, graduating in May, and (hopefully!) planning for my own classroom in the fall, I will miss the time that I have had with this crazy group of 9 year olds. If I had 23 kids I would want them to be just like these guys...

Growing up is exciting, but moving on is terribly sad.

Two Weeks Away...

I am two weeks (and a day) away from leaving for Port Elizabeth, South Africa, to student teach. The more I think about it the more anxious I get to be on my way!

Though I am excited and anxious, there are loads of other emotions that have been coming and going over the past several weeks: sadness, happiness, fear and quite frankly, terror. I am going to miss my husband, my home, my classmates (our last class together forever is only one week away...) and my very awesome friends. Two months is quite a bit of time to be away from Bronson, so mostly, I am just really going to miss that guy. Thankfully, I know that no matter where I go or for how long I am gone I will always have a Bronson to come back to. I keep telling myself that as I make preparations and go through the ten thousand emotional stages of "farewell for now."

On a less serious note, at this point in the game I am starting to freak about about the packing situation. What do you wear in South Africa?! I need to do some serious shopping here pretty soon... I have two pairs of shorts-- count them-- two. I also need to buy some gifts for my cooperating teachers over there... I'm thinking some fun books about the U.S., Ohio and New Phila. There have to be books about New Phila, right??

I am waiting for the primary school to get back to me about dress code stuff... seems to be my life right now: waiting.



Living boldly doesn't require us to leave our home, our country, our life. It requires us to leave our comfort, our fear and our expectations.



Sarah