Hi Everyone,

Today, Fran and I said our goodbyes to the children and staff at Vusamanzi Primary School.  What a beautiful send off they gave us.  I visited all the classrooms and the children blew kisses and said how much they love me.  It was so special.

The principal and staff surprised Fran and I with a lovely program in tribute to the work we have accomplished at their school.  There were speeches, songs, and even some sweet treats.  I was so overwhelmed by their thoughtfulness and generosity.  I can't believe how grateful they were for the help and the compliments they showered on us.

I leave with joy in my heart coupled with a sadness since I know how much they are suffering yet their spirits are so uplifting and inspiring.

Thanks to everyone that made this trip possible.  Fran and I are grateful to serve in your name.

Fondly,
Laura and Fran

8/13/12 - Hi Everyone,

Today Fran and I brought to school over 80 photographs that we have taken and developed of the groups of children and teachers I have taught/taught with.  We mounted them on poster board (thanks to Mr. Fran) and shared them with everyone.  The response was overwhelming!  The students and the staff spent the day in awe over the "shots".  I couldn't stop taking more pictures over their reaction to the original pictures.  It was heartwarming to see how grateful they were for this gift.

Next, I spent all morning in the intermediate grades until finally I got into first grade.  They are so adorable and the most attentive group I have worked with so far.  Even when it was time for their lunch they didn't want to stop learning.

Unfortunately, there are riots and protests happening around Khayelitsha since Saturday so things are a little unsettled.  I hope it does not affect my ability to continue to educate the students and staff at Vuzamanzi Primary School.  Everyone here is so dedicated and eager to learn.  Unfortunately, political unrest exists here, much like everywhere.  The people here are suffering so badly.

Well, that is all for now.  I have to get my lessons ready for tomorrow and get a little shut eye.

See you soon.

Laura and Fran

Hello Everyone,

Today we are preparing for an Open House at school on Sunday, 8/11/12 from 9:00 am to noon.  At that time, we will be meeting with attending parents to introduce ourselves and tell them what we have been doing with the children.  I am typing fast because we need to find a place to print out the myriad of pictures Fran has been taking in the classrooms.  I am sure the students and parents will enjoy the posters we plan to make with their children pictured on them.  Say a prayer we can find a place that sells posterboards and glue sticks.  I have tried several places to no avail.  Although I did get a hot tip regarding where I can print pictures. 

Thank goodness Fran is here not only for his computer expertise and classroom support but because he has been the navigator around town.  If you are not already aware of this, I have a terrible sense of direction and I would never have been able to get to the places I need to be at in South Africa without him.

I am working very closely with a wonderful teacher, Miss Joy Nqolobe, as I teach within the various grade level classrooms.  As I stated previously, I am very busy every night and weekends documenting lessons and typing up materials the school can use going forward in their literacy instruction.  I am using our CR model of "training the trainer" so that Joy can train the staff in these methodologies after we leave.  Since the classroom teachers only get to see me in action when I am in their own classroom.

Cute story --- I was working with second grade students on Wednesday and I was teaching them consonant actions in order to develop their phonemic awareness.  The children were having so much fun and afterwards I saw a good transfer of knowledge in their ability to identify initial sounds.  You should have seen them as they pretended to catch a ball as they made the "c" sound and laughing out loud as they made the "l" sound.  Even though it was time for recess, the children did not want to leave the classroom because they were so engaged in this literacy activity.

Elaine Wunder, wonderful kindergarten teacher, if you are reading this, please send me a copy of the consonant action document.  I am going from memory with some of the actions but it would be nice to have a copy of the document I furnished to the K teachers.

Fran is going to attempt to upload a picture or two now.  Keep your fingers crossed because we have attempted to do this previously with no success.

Goodbye for now.

Fondly,
Laura and Fran

Sorry for the delay in posting to the blog.  Boy, have I been BUSY!  I realize that everyone is anxious to hear news about Vuzamanzi Primary School and my experience here. 

First of all, the children are amazing.  Every day the gift of their smiles lights up my spirit and heart.  The poverty and hardships the families, students, and community face are many, however, their positive attitudes and their passion for learning is astounding. 

So what have I been doing......lots of demonstration lessons, team teaching with a wonderful teacher,  Miss Joy Nqolobe, who helps translate English to Xhosa, the native language of the students here, prepping for lessons, helping teachers with reading across the curriculum, teaching reading strategies, developing session plans for mediated reading experiences, and paperwork.  I have been enjoying myself immensely and will have many stories to share with you later.  Unfortunately, I do not have Internet access at school so I can only post to the blog after I have completed all my homework and prepping for lessons after school.  At night, I am busy preparing files that teachers can use to learn about the demonstration lessons taught in other classrooms.  So far I have taught in grades 2-7.  Unfortunately, I have not been in grade 1 classrooms ,my forte, since these students only have lessons 10 % of the time in English and 90 % of the time in Khosa. 

To give you a picture of what the school looks like, the physical school building is old and need of repairs.  Teachers and learners work in their coats and scarfs (students if they have them) in buildings with no heat.  It is wintertime in South Africa with temperatures 45 degrees Fahrenheit.  Cold winds are blowing and lots of rain.  Before I left  home, I thought great, I won't miss the heat.  But now, I yearn for some.  I can not complain, since the students live in shacks, that are very small with no indoor heat, plumbing or sanitation.  Imagine waking up every day very cold and wet from the rains.  The children at school wear uniforms and their parents do a great job making sure they are neat and presentable.  Since they have no heat, they all seem to be suffering from runny noses.  Boy, I wish someone could air drop a shipment of tissues, warm clothes, food, and money to help them with their situation.  Yet, as I stated before, they are so eager to learn.  They value their education and know that they need it to get ahead in life.  I am learning so much from them. 

The teachers should be commended as well.  They continue to show students love while imparting knowledge to them as they shiver in classrooms with broken windows, door that don't shut and with little supplies.  Another thing I would like air dropped to me is all my school supplies from home.  Every day I lay awake thinking what can I do next to help the children and teachers here.  I feel like I am in a trauma center trying to place band aids over large gaping wounds.  Oh, on a good note, I have a new boyfriend.  Don't tell Mr. Fran (that is what the children call him).  One of the third grade boys told me after I did a demonstration lesson in his classroom that I am the cutest. 

So what about Mr. Fran, he has been taking lots of pictures to share with you.  Unfortunately, we are experiencing problems uploading these pictures to the blog site.  I think we will have to wait until we return to do this.  The Internet here is not as fast and we experience many problems using it.  He has been such a valuable asset to this project from computer work to updating documents, uploading pictures and documents into teacher's directories, and even photocopying as needed.  Tomorrow he will assist in organizing the ISBN numbers of books that the school is planning to purchase with their grant money for their new reading curriculum.  Additionally, he has been a good male role model for students since many come from homes with only a mother.

Today, I was even observed by an administrator from the Department of Education.  I can't wait to tell Mr. Reid, my principal at home, how much she enjoyed my lesson and the strategies I was using with the third grade classroom.

Goodbye for now.  Laura and Fran

Teacher's First Report from Cape Town!

I have been extremely busy doing demonstration lessons in classrooms grades 2-7, working with teachers, writing lesson plans, teaching reading strategies, observations, researching topics for learning, and helping them with completing checklists for teaching reading and literacy across the curriculum in listening, speaking, reading and writing.  I decided that I would concentrate at night on developing curriculum/lessons with the teachers since this is my first priority.  I know that you are anxiously awaiting news via the blog but due to the time I am spending in the classroom working with students and teachers and the hours I am spending on curriculum development and class preparation at night there are not enough hours in the day to do everything.

 

I can not wait until I return so that I can speak with you in person regarding all that I have learned here.  

 

Finally, Fran has been an invaluable assistant since he is able to take lots of classroom pictures and he has been uploading these pictures for teachers to their directories (time permitting he will upload some of these pictures on the blog).  Unfortunately, this can not be done at school since there is no Internet access.  He has also been busy printing out all the materials I am developing on a daily basis.   Having a male presence in the class with me at times helps students see his as a good role model since many of them only have a mother in their homes.  He has spent lots of time copying and collating materials since their are not enough resources available, etc. etc.

Reading Specialist Arrives Safely!

Laura Harrington and her husband, Fran, have begun their 3 week assignment.  They are staying at Vicky's B & B and while Laura utilizes her reading specialist skills in the Primary School, Fran assists the school with coordinating Foundation requests to the School's needs.