So today concludes our first week of working at the SHAWCO Holiday Program at Manenberg Primary School. The three hour program consists of teaching 6th and 7th graders English and Math, providing lunch, and playing games with them. We all come together to play games, but during instruction time each Vanderbilt student tutors from one to three students. To be honest, the first few days of the program were pretty rough. The program was... unorganized--kids were running everywhere, materials were lacking, and the curriculum provided seemed arbitrary and not grade appropriate. As I am studying Education back at Vanderbilt, the teaching approaches implemented in the program here were very frustrating for me to see, let alone use. However, after a few rant sessions and brainstorming, our group pulled together and somewhat reorganized the logistics of the program. Five days later, the program is running much more smoothly and I think the kids are really starting to learn and enjoy themselves.
One hard thing to deal with while working at the program is that we are teaching only a small portion of the children in Manenberg. We are only a group of 20 students that can tutor a maximum of three or four students each before it becomes unmanagable. Thus, many children have to be turned away. However, this does not mean they don't still show up to the school. Every day when we start the program, other kids from around the neighborhood hang outside the classrooms, bang on the windows, play games, and wait for the breaks when we go outside to play. They have served as quite an annoyance, as their constant banging on the walls and random barging into the classrooms make it hard for our students to concentrate. However, today I got to see these neighborhood children in a different light.
Today we began teaching math. Five minutes into starting the math worksheets, I realized that one of my students did not know how to add. Luckily at that moment we were scheduled for a break, so I had some time to write out easier problems for my student. While the students were out playing soccer and running around, I sat against a wall outside and began writing out simple addition problems. Almost immediately after I sat down, a boy that isn't in the program curiously circled around me to see what I was up to. The boy took one look at my paper, smirked, and claimed that the problems were too easy. I challenged him and asked if he wanted harder ones, to which he nodded. I then wrote out a harder problem which he solved quickly and looked to me in anticipation for more. Pretty soon I had a group of little boys around me, asking for math problems and eagerly shouting out the answers as fast as they could. I continued to sit there for the next thirty minutes, teaching little math tricks and quizzing the boys.
Although this was just 30 minutes of doing simple math problems with a couple boys against the wall of a classroom, that time was pretty special to me. These boys, who I had seen as rowdy little trouble makers, really did have a thirst for learning. They enjoyed doing math problems and kept asking for more. Suddenly I wished we could have class outside so others could join in on the fun. Teaching those boys showed me how hopeful these children are and how they yearn for knowledge. It reaffirmed my aspirations to be an educator and highlighted the importance for effective teachers to capture this thirst for knowledge and help students reach their highest potential. I fear the reason why many of these students are several grade levels behind where they should be is not because of lack of interest, rather a lack of skill on the part of educators and an inefficient education system. Because this is a much greater issue than I can tackle in two weeks, I am focusing on what I can do with the time that I do have. Hopefully my passion for teaching will shine through to these little ones and I can encourage them to continue in their education, as they have encouraged me to continue in mine.
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