Until next time Cape Town!

We spent our last full day in Cape Town sightseeing and spending every last rand we had! I also had the wonderful opportunity of being picked up by Ms. Fisher to get a private culinary tour of the city! Here are some of the photos I took but I really don't have much to say. Overall, it was such an enjoyable day but as it concluded my heart broke. I know that deep down, the chances of me returning to South Africa is very slim. It is somewhat difficult to talk about it but I made the absolute best of my final moments in the rainbow nation! 

We'll stand by Montevideo, till the end!

After three life-changing weeks at Montevideo Primary School, it was finally time to begin the final day of teaching. I woke up that morning with no idea of what to expect. Was it going to be emotional? Was it going to be chaotic? Was it going to be joyful? I literally had mixed emotions but I knew one thing for sure; I was going to cherish every second the day had to offer. It was so hard to believe that the last day finally arrived but there was a feeling deep inside that I was ready to depart. However, the impact that the school, learners, and faculty had on me made me regret leaving that afternoon. Simply put, I wish that day would have never ended.

My three companions and I stepped out of the car onto the lot of Montevideo. We looked at each other with a slight frown that went across our faces. We knew that today was the last day but we just didn’t want to believe it. We wished each other a fun farewell and an enjoyable last day. We went our separate ways, myself to Ms. Fisher’s class.

When I arrived to the large wooden door, I heard the chaotic chatters of the 7A class. Yet, there was one loud voice that rang heavier than all the others, Ms. Fisher’s. She always had a way of calming the learners with her intimidation and boisterous voice. I grinned ever so slightly and turned the silver handle. As I stepped foot into the dark room, it got very quiet and then at once, a wave of applause filled the room. Whether the learners were celebrating my arrival or the fact that they were about to be blessed with American candy (which they have known about for the past week), it never quite phased me but regardless, I relished in the enlightening welcome. I apologized for my late arrival and Ms. Fisher went on her with her lecture. At the conclusion of the first period, I was given the opportunity to present my American candy, which was a Willy Wonka variety pack, to the learners. Before I dispersed the “sweeties,” I gave a short speech on how grateful I was to have been given the opportunity to spend the past three weeks with them! They all smiled but I could see their patience was running thin. Class was beginning to get chaotic before my speech. I then described the candy and passed them to each learner. They were so thrilled! First interval arrived and I had a few errands to run before the end of the 15 minute break. I first went to each of the Grade 7 teachers and gave them a gift from America. More importantly though, I thanked each of them for allowing me to observe within their classrooms and allowing me to enjoy extensively this once in a lifetime opportunity. I then headed to the Grade R classroom to grab a few photos for Teacher Cathey. I was greeted so warmly by all the Grade R learners with giant hugs by each of them. It was so joyous, yet so heartbreaking at the same time.

Interval concluded and I returned for the second period with Ms. Fisher once more. It seemed as though this period went by so quickly before the second and final interval that I would get to experience began. This interval was different than any other. Each teacher, including student teachers, were asked to congregate in the teacher’s lounge. We entered the room which was filled delectable aroma. It was a traditional South African meal that was being prepared in honor of a teacher’s birthday! It was so honored to be included in the celebration and to be given the opportunity to try this wonderful cuisine. I sat with the other Grade 7 learners. Ms. Fisher was particularly happy that I was able to witness her eating with her hands which I gladly snapped a photo of! She found it even more humorous that I began sweating from the spiciness of the dish! She gladly snapped a photo of me. Principal Timmet then rose above the crowd to silence the educators. He gave a speech to wish us, the Americans, a warm, South African farewell. He thanked us for the time that we dedicated to the school and wished us the best of luck in our future endeavors. We then proceeded to give him our farewell gift which he highly enjoyed!

The eventful lunch soon concluded and the final part of the day began with only 30 minutes remaining. I was spending my final moments at Montevideo with the 7B class who were not privileged in hearing my American history lesson yet. So I couldn’t leave the school without giving them my lesson. I proceeded with a BRIEF flight through America’s history beginning with Columbus and ending with World War 2. It was quite miraculous that I was able to recite it all. I couldn’t keep the class waiting any longer though and passed out the American sweeties.

Out of nowhere the alarm sounded for the conclusion of the day. My stomach dropped, my heart broke, and my eyes filled with tears. It was so hard to believe that my final day at Montevideo Primary was finally over. The learners wished me well and gave me a hug before they left the room. In that moment, I wish that they wouldn’t have let go. I wish that I could have spent so much more time with them but all good things must come to an end.

We piled into the car that took us away from the school that changed each of our lives! The driver honked the horn as we left and in an instance the car was surrounded by all the learners. They were giving us high-fives and wishing us a good bye as they shouted MIZ in the background. It was an absolute honor!

Through my time at Montevideo, I learned so much about the education system of South Africa. More importantly, though, I learned so much about myself. I know that I have transformed as a student, as a teacher, and overall as a person. This life changing experience has made a severe impact on my teaching abilities. It challenged me, it tested me, and it made me better. I cannot wait to implement what I have learned in my future classroom. (For more concluding thoughts, look for a future blog post in which I share my overall experience).

The day concluded with a lovely dinner at Anatoli restaurant, a Turkish influenced dining experience. We were accompanied by the lovely Dean of the College of Education at the University of the Western Cape. She also wanted to wish us a farewell and a congratulatory evening filled with delicious Mediterranean cuisine! Day 28 finally concluded which only meant one thing: our last full day in Cape Town was going to begin! 

We the People...of South Africa!

The clock stroke 6:30 a.m. in the beautiful city of Cape Town, South Africa. The rays of the awakening sun streamed through the shades of the window to find me dreaming ever so sweetly. I awoke to the sound of my ringing alarm signaling me to begin the new day at Montevideo Primary School. It was indeed going to be a new day filled with new adventures and new acquaintances.

I found myself pacing across the cold, hard floor of my temporary home awaiting for our ride to take us to Montevideo. I was slightly nervous and my tensions were running high. Today would be the first time I would present a lesson as a teacher. My notes were prepared but I felt like I was not even close to being emotionally prepared for the challenge that lied ahead. Many teachers give their first lesson to a group of about 15-20 students per classroom, at least in the United States. If that isn’t nerve wrecking enough, imagine giving a lesson to a group of 40 students per classroom. That was the task I was given and even though I wasn’t emotionally prepared, I faced the challenge and tackled it with full force.

We had arrived at Montevideo that morning slightly passed the beginning of class. I gathered my thoughts and headed to Ms. Fisher’s classroom. As I opened the thick wooden door, all eyes were suddenly on me. At once, “Good Morning, Mr. Smith” came across my ears from the 42 grade seven learners. Ms. Fisher was gone and the classroom returned to its chaotic state. I stood at the front of the classroom and gave the class a very stern look, like much of the grade seven teachers. They all silenced extremely quick. I then began my lesson on American history.

“Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492.”

“The stripes on the US flag represent the original thirteen colonies.”

“We hold these truths to be self-evident…”

“July 4^th, 1776!”

Of course, it is hard to teach the entire history of America in a span of one hour. So I covered the basics. I finally arrived to the ratification of the United States Constitution. By this time, Ms. Fisher had returned to the class. I told them that when I was in the seventh grade, I had to recite the preamble to the Constitution. I informed the class that I could either sing or say it when I was in seventh grade. So I asked them, what would you like for me to do? Unanimously, they voted that I sing the preamble. Without much rehearsal, I recited it with perfection surprisingly. They, however, found it highly amusing and a wave of laughter filled the room. I could not help but join in on the fun. I don’t think I have ever laughed that much before. First interval then arrived and I headed up to the table-tennis room to grab a few photos with the learners.

After first interval, Mr. Edross had a nice surprise for us, the Americans! He put us into the car and we drove to Excelsior High School, one of the many township high schools in the region. My companion, Madalynn, and I were extremely nervous. An image drew across our mind of a school devastated by poverty and sadness. Mr. Edross drove us through different communities of where many of the high school learners resided. We passed by many sustainable housing units that appeared that many middle class families lived in. Suddenly we passed through an area with several apartment complexes stretching about five stories high.  Garbage filled the lots and clothes were hung from the outside stairs. Mr. Edross informed us that each apartment has the ability to house four people comfortably. However, he said that in these units, there would be at least ten people living in each. It was so devastating to hear this.

We drove around the corner and finally arrived to Excelsior High School. We waited outside the gated campus waiting for the iron gate to electronically slide open. A few seconds passed and our entry was finally granted. We drove up into a bricked driveway surrounded by a variety of different plants. Overall, it seemed as though it was a decent school. The physical structure of the school was constructed much like Montevideo Primary School but it was slightly larger. We headed up to one of the first classrooms in which Mrs. Edross, Mr. Edross’s wife, was teaching. She was indeed a lovely women who served as the Afrikaans Mathematics teacher. Mrs. Edross led us into her classroom where about twenty Grade 12 learners sat. As we entered, we once again felt like celebrities because all eyes were on us, the two white Americans. We greeted the classroom with large smiles. It was very intriguing for the both of us to be put into this environment that we were not accustomed to. The class stared at us from head to toe with looks on their faces that appeared as though they were going to suddenly say, “Oh, so that’s what Americans look like.” We pushed onward with the introduction and the learners became very interested in us. They asked a variety of different questions from our favorite food to how long the flight was going to be to go home. Overall, it was a pleasant experience. We were then taken by one of the learners to the CAT (Computer Application Technology) Lab. Along the way, the learner did not hesitate to ask us for our Facebook links. We weren’t as forthcoming as him; yet, we did not seen any harm done and we gave him our email address.

We arrived to the CAT lab, a very large room filled with nearly 40 computers, double the size that Montevideo had. Class was not being held at the time but we were greeted by the teacher who also served as the deputy head principal. She was very enlightened to see the pair of Americans who just stepped into her classroom and began sharing with us the role that the CAT lab plays on the learners. Surprisingly, many of the learners who enter her class have never seen a computer in their life. Thus, she has to begin lessons from the very beginning, explaining what each component of the computer does. The computers feature Windows XP software which as many of you know is very outdated compared to those in the United States. However, it was very fortunate to hear that the learners who come from a very disadvantaged background are given the opportunity to increase their computer skills for future careers that they may pursue. After this brief info session, we headed to the Development Lab.

Along our journey to the Development Lab, we had to briefly wait for different gates to open in each section of the school until we finally reached the lab. Mr. Edross informed us that different sections of the school are closed off to control the flow of the learners. He stated that if certain learners are let into the same area as other learners that a fight could break out amongst them. This has a lot to do with the ethnic background of the learners.

We finally reached the Development Lab where a very petite woman was standing behind the desk. The room had two computers, a sink, cupboards, and a few couches placed in the center. The facilitator informed us that the lab is used as a resource for many of the learners who had or are going through a traumatic event in their life. The learners are sent here to better cope with the situation and gain resources to help make it through the situation. The lab is one of three that the region has, this one being the pilot. Then five students entered the lab but they were not dressed in school uniforms. They had on professional clothing and looked very authoritative. They were teachers-in-training much like us. We had the pleasure of speaking with them for a few minutes before Mr. Edross fetched us to return to Montevideo.

Overall, I was very enlightened at what I saw at Excelsior High School. I went in with an image of poverty and rot but what I found was clearly not that. The school is advantaged in the sense that they have resources such as the CAT Lab and the Development Lab to offer to their learners. I wish, though, that the resources offered at this school could be more abundant in other schools in the region such as Montevideo Primary School. It is these schools that absolutely need it the most.

Madalynn and I returned to Montevideo to finish out day twelve of teaching. I had one more lesson to give to the 7C class with Ms. Fisher. My history lesson went much like my first but as I was finishing up, an unexpected guest entered the class; Principal Timmet. He came in and found a seat among the crowd of learners. He stated to me that he wanted to hear American history from the perspective of me, an American. So I gave the lesson once more. At the conclusion of the lesson, he smiled at me and said, “Congratulations! You gave an outstanding lesson and I am so intrigued that a young man of 20 like yourself can recite his own history.” He then turned to the learners and said, “This young man should be a role model to all of you.” I felt so honored that Principal Timmet said that.

Day twelve teaching concluded with the alarming sound of the school bell! This only meant one thing, however, that my Teaching Abroad adventure in South Africa was coming to an end. One day of teaching remained and I was not even remotely prepared for it. 

A Very Special Day!

I never imagined that my time here in South Africa would go by as quickly as it has been. It is so hard to believe that I only have four days left but I know that the days that I have been here have been well worth it. Today was a special day for myself and my fellow Mizzou companions. Instead of heading directly to school as we do every morning, the seven us along with our advisor and graduate assistant ventured to the Jan Kriel Special School for a brief tour.

Quick note: Schools in South Africa do not have the resources to fund school psychologists, therapists, or special education teachers for students who suffer with a physical or mental disability. At least, they don’t have the funds to place them in every school. Thus, parents who believe that their child(ren) need extra assistance in their academics, they must apply through a government program. The government then selects students based on the severity of their disability and then place them into a special school which is better equipped to teach them. Jan Kriel Special School is one of those.

We arrived to Jan Kriel slightly passed 9:00 a.m. We drove through the gated campus and finally arrived to the grand entrance of what appeared to be a well-funded institution. The physical appearance looked exceptionally well kept compared to Montevideo Primary School, the school at which I have been conducting my studies in. We entered the doorway with a warm greeting from a man with a husky build and cheery smile. It was the principal of the school. He greeted us in Afrikaans but little did he know, we weren’t South African students, we were Americans. His toned quickly changed when he discovered our foreign presence. He was extremely excited that a group of Americans had arrived to his school and gladly began the tour of the school. Before he began his expedition, he introduced the group to the Head Boy, Head Girl, and Deputy Head Girl of the school. These students act somewhat like the governing body for the students. As he introduced the students, he would ask them to tell the group why they were at the school in terms of their disability. The head boy had ADHD, the head girl had ADD, and the Deputy Head Girl was in a wheelchair. I was very surprised that students with ADHD and ADD had to go to a special school simply because in the United States, they are integrated into the mainstream school so well. The introductions went quite quickly, though, and the tour pushed onward. We passed by several classrooms, a gymnasium, and a shop room on our way to our first destination. As we passed by each classroom, I peaked inside each one and many of them had 8 learners at maximum in the room. This was also a surprise. Montevideo had 40 learners per classroom and Jan Kriel had 8. We finally arrived to a room that the principal referred to as the learning laboratory. In the room, there was a desk placed in the center for the therapist who worked the lab. Surrounding the well-organized desk was small cubicles with computers in each one. There were also learners at each one with headphones and an attached microphone. They were using a system that allowed them to talk into the microphone and the words would appear on a word document of some sort. Many of the learners in this room were visually/hearing impaired or had a learning disability that hindered their writing or reading abilities. I was so intrigued to listen into their work. It had appeared as though they were doing quite well with their work despite their disability. Forward we went to the cooking laboratory. Along the way, the principal stopped a variety of students and instructed them to tell our group of their disability. Much like the first, they had ADHD or ADD. We then arrived to the cooking center. This room had several stove tops, ovens, and cooking utensils. The principal had shared with us that many of the students who graduate enter into a serving career of some sort and it was vital for them to grasp the concepts of cooking and serving. Afterwards, the principal had to depart the group and we were connected with one of the three school psychologists who gladly took on our final tour of the primary school on campus. It was an extremely brief tour only consisting of a walk down the primary school hallway. It was a completely different atmosphere than the primary school I was placed in. There were well-decorated hallways, small classroom sizes, learning equipment, and more than one teacher in each classroom. This was certainly an interesting contrast to note. Afterwards, we joined the psychologist for some more questions about the school and how it functions. However, our time had quickly expired. We had to board the Boogey Bus once again and rejoin our placement schools.

Overall, Jan Kriel Special School is indeed a very special school. The school has an abundant amount of resources, even more than some in the United States. They are so well equipped and staffed with high-quality educators making it far different than many other schools in the region, including Montevideo Primary School. Many of the learners have a wide range of disabilities but it had appeared that nearly all of them were white students with a few black and colored students walking throughout the campus. They encourage diversity and have no sign of segregation. The school is funded by the government but they receive most of their funding from the three churches that are near the school. The school is operating at its full capacity of 590 students but they often send out educators to schools around the area who need more assistance with their learners. Surprisingly, I haven’t seen any assistance being offered at Montevideo Primary School, at least in the grade that I was assisting in. The disparity between Jan Kriel and Montevideo is so intriguing for many reasons. On one hand, it is comforting to hear that learners who have a disability are being so well taken care of at Jan Kriel. On the other hand, I am surprised at the amount of resources the school has which many of the schools in the region, including Montevideo that more than likely has several learners with learning disabilities, do not have. Many of the learners at Jan Kriel have the opportunity to travel to different parts of the world to study or participate in sporting events. Whether this is school funded or privately funded, I was surprised that money that was used for these trips was not being used to better the country as a whole in terms of students with disabilities. In conclusion, I was humbly privileged to tour the campus of Jan Kriel Special School and it is intriguing to learn that the University of Missouri will be working with the school to send future special educators there to complete studies.

We departed Jan Kriel and headed back to Montevideo Primary School. Along the way, we stopped by Kentucky Fried Chicken to grab a quick lunch! One of my fellow companions began singing, “Kentucky Fried Chicken, is the chicken, for you and me.” Let’s just say that the lyrics have been firmly molded into my brain all day. I may have to spend an evening of jamming to Sia’s “Chandelier” just to get them out of my head!

Montevideo was beginning their second and final interval for the day upon our arrival. Today, my companions and I were joined by our advisor, Professor Whitney, and graduate assistant, Jayme Gardner, who had the pleasure of visiting each of our classrooms. Of course, my learners were so excited to see more Americans in their presence! Chaos broke loose. To add to the chaos, Professor Whitney wanted to get a group picture with me and the learners. As you can imagine, this was a ten minute process of screaming and shouting from both the learners and the teacher, Ms. Fisher. Luckily, I had taken a hefty dose of ibuprofen before this occurrence. Best choice of the day!

We finally were successful in getting a group picture which I hope to post very soon! In the meantime, however, I must prepare a lesson on the American Revolution which I am extremely excited to present tomorrow. Until next time my followers, “Kentucky Fried Chicken, is the chicken, for you and me!”

What It's All About!

It is truly hard to believe that this time next week, I will be standing once again on American soil. Three weeks have passed in the rainbow nation of South Africa but it feels as though we just arrived. Am I ready to leave? There is no true answer to that lingering question but I have some idea. I am ready to go home; to see my family, to spend time with my friends, and to begin course work at Mizzou once again. Yet, I still have this feeling deep inside that I want to continue my adventure here in South Africa. By all means, we have not seen South Africa. We have traveled all over the country seeing all the beautiful, breath-taking landscapes; yet, we have not seen South Africa. We have journeyed to the farthest tip of the African continent; yet, we have not seen South Africa. We have ventured through the warm, sunny fields of Kruger National Park; yet, we have not seen South Africa. We have not seen the South Africa behind all of its glory. As a group of students from the United States, we have had the distinct pleasure of being treated to the highest quality of South Africa. We reside in a stunning apartment complex within walking distance of We have been through the townships, we have seen the poverty but we haven’t lived it. We haven’t lived what nearly 75% of South Africa’s population lives. In my opinion, that’s the real South Africa; a country hidden by the glory of tourism and vacation destinations. More importantly, I haven’t seen the South Africa that my students see every day.

School concludes promptly at 14:30 (7:30 a.m. CST) every day. As the students prepare to leave for the school premises, they have to walk in groups back to their homes in some of the most difficult living situations one could imagine. The students must walk in groups simply because they need strength in numbers. It is normal for students to hear gun shots as they return home from school or be approached by gang members living within their community. When they walk together, they don’t have the fear of being prey to an unwanted predator! When they finally arrive home, the majority of them are greeted by 10+ family members living in a home that could comfortably sustain four people. Many are given bad news when they arrive home. Their parents have disappeared; in jail or even worse, dead. A friend has become pregnant because she fell victim to rape. A family member has died because of an overdose of drugs and other paraphernalia. This is the South Africa my students see every day. Thus, I have so much sympathy for my students and have grown utterly close to each and every single one of them.

I returned to Montevideo Primary today after a long weekend of winery tours and fun-loving evenings with my fellow companions. We arrived slightly late today after a mishap with our transportation. It was too late for me to interrupt my seventh grade class so I joined Grade R (Kindergarten). As I walked in with my fellow companion, Teacher Cathey as the learners call her, all eyes were on me again. They were playing the hokey-pokey, a fun ice breaker that they start each day off with. It was so entertaining to watch them play and sing to the lyrics. The majority of them did not know their right from their left but they got the main point of it. After that, the students were asked to use recycled bottle caps to learn how to count to six. The teacher explained to them to take away certain amounts and add others. Overall, they were trying to learn the general concepts of addition and subtraction but they weren’t really aware of it. This visual representation of addition and subtraction with the use of recycled bottle caps is an intriguing teaching method that I may use in my own classroom in the near future. After this group activity, the teacher made use of her two new teaching assistants and let the class participate in an art project involving candles and wax. Of course, they put me on the front lines of this project. It was quite difficult to control small groups of Grade R learners with hot candles and dripping wax but I made it through with no casualties. The students really enjoyed the project as well as my company!

After the project, first interval arrived and I returned to my normal schedule with Grade 7. I spent the rest of the day with 7B and they were exceptionally excited to see me! I was not able to do much, however, except observe the classes so nothing exciting happened from that point onward. Thus, the day went by really slow. School got done 30 minutes early, though, so I returned to the apartment and enjoyed a well-deserved nap!

Day 25 in Cape Town, South Africa has finally concluded. With that being said, there is only six days remaining until I return to the United States. It is so hard to believe that the time is nearly here but I am so fortunate for the time that I have had! I have crossed so much off my bucket list and I have achieved my ultimate dream. I wonder what is in store for me next! 

MIZ-ZOU

My students in the 7A class absolutely loved learning all about my University and where I come from. They really enjoyed learning my school chant, MIZ-ZOU! We did it over and over again and I finally got it on video! 

MIZ-ZOU South African Style!

Week two at Montevideo Primary School ended with a fantastic day of events. August 1^st was the day that the learners could come to school in normal dress but on the condition that they pay 5 rand. The proceeds were going to benefit a local children’s hospital! It was so interesting to arrive at school and see all the learners in their casual attire. They all looked lively and excited to be at school, not that they ever aren’t. I began the day with Ms. Fischer who had to leave the classroom for the first part of the period. Fortunately, the moment arrived that I could finally interact with the learners on a more personal level. I explained to them that if they were quiet, they could ask me any types of questions that they wanted to. I highly enjoyed answering all the questions they had for me. Yet, they appeared that they were having more enjoyment out of it than I was. At the end of the questioning, I was able to teach the class the MIZ-ZOU chant. It was remarkably one of the most rewarding parts of the day! And of course, I caught in on camera! First interval arrived and I rejoined the table tennis team for a brief ping-pong match. I am certainly getting better but I still have a lot of work to do to match up to the skills of the learners! Interval concluded and I rejoined Ms. Wilcocks for math and EMS. Before I knew it, though, second interval began. It is amazing how fast my time here in South Africa is going. This interval, I stayed outside in the courtyard instead of rejoining the learners in the table tennis room. I had the distinct pleasure of being invited to jump rope with a small group of girls. I was slightly nervous because the last time I jumped rope was, ironically, in elementary school. I faced my fears though and jumped in! Surprisingly, I was really good! I jumped and twirled and laughter filled the air around me. Before I knew it, there was a crowd of learners surrounding me. They all HIGHLY enjoyed me, “the American,” jumping rope with them! School ended nearly two hours early that day which put a damper on my already high spirits. It marked the end of week two and the beginning of my last week in South Africa!