WOW! After several false starts - and significant scope creep - we have the client's agreement on a statement of work! So we'll be developing a framework for professional development for teachers that's focused on enabling them to teach South Africa's new curriculum, a monitoring tool to track the impact of KidSmart - which IBM is donating to 25 schools in a rural school district, and 'some training' - the client would like each of us to deliver a short training - we'll still getting the details but we know it will be a short session! And we also found materials from some earlier projects to leverage - networking is awesome!
So another day beginning with a run - Keiko joined me - we run on a main street where there are lots of people walking to work. It's in a nice neighborhood - and many of the ladies waiting for the bus greet us. We do feel safe!
Today we visited two schools and observed a KidSmart training session. The schools are another 60 k from the district office, and the Curriculum Advisor accompanied us. Her role is to monitor the teachers and how they are implementing the curriculum. There is a very detailed curriculum plan that tells what needs to be taught each week - and identifies the resources for the teachers to use. However, we learned that many teachers are not completing the materials so the children are not ready for the next grade - and they perform poorly on the national tests. Hence the need for monitors. She did observations and provided feedback to the teacher - and shared with us after the visit that there were several areas where the teacher needed additional support. The class was taught in the children's home language - there are 11 official languages - so we could not understand what was being taught.
We drove down a dusty one lane road to reach the school. All schools are surrounded by fences and most have gates that lock at night. The buildings are arranged around a quad - with doors opening into a courtyard. The ground is swept dirt - that way any snakes can be easily seen. There are metal grates on the windows for security and classroom doors are locked when school is not in session. The building has electricity but lights are rarely use. There is no running water. The district brings in water for children to drink and for preparing the noon meal. Toilet facilities are small building with pits located at the end of the property.
We visited a kindergarten class that had 42 children. All wore uniforms and were bobbing with energy. There were tables and chairs - much worn. The one-story building has a tin roof and there is no heat in the winter. There were some bags with the children belongings and one locked cabinet - but no shelves with books, toys or other manipulables that one often finds in a kindergarten classroom. The front of the room had green chalk boards and there were some well used posters around the room.
When we arrived the teacher was about to begin a lesson on identifying colors. The children got a rug - about 9 x 12 - out of the corner and all came and sat on it. They participated enthusiastically in the lesson - and when they finished they sang a song for us. We took lots of pictures - with permission! - and the children crowded around to see the pictures! We had brought some art supplies and the children - and the teacher - were excited about these materials.
As we left the school, we learned that the children live in the nearby village, and none have running water and few have electricity. However, their school uniforms were spotless and well pressed! We also saw goats in the center of the village - and a medical clinic was set up - outside - with a medical practitioner there for a couple of hours.
We drove another 20 or so k to arrive at a second school. This was also had no running water, but did have electricity. We came just as the children were receiving their lunch - which had been prepared by parents who volunteer and then are paid for the food. The children had their own dishes - and the food - a mixture of a type of rice with a small amount of meat - was scooped from a picnic ice chest into their dishes. They ate with their hands - and brought their lunch outside to eat it. They too were curious about our cameras and provided many great pictures!
A while later a cow bell rang - and the children returned to their classrooms. We did not observe the kindergarten teacher - she was busy - so we gave the art supplies to the principal. We spoke with him briefly - he is very energetic and has done so much to improve the school. He told us the children came from 2 nearby villages - and walk about 1 k from one village and about 3 k from a second village. The children walk across the fields/the bush of the high veld - to get to school. These villages were more mixed - still no running water but more often the homes had electricity.
Another journey to a third school - where the 25 kindergarten teachers who will participate in the Kid Smart pilot were learning how to use the use the computer to teach. There are lessons in math, colors, sequencing - etc - a typical kindergarten curriculum. BUT it was designed in the US for the typical midwestern learner! We observed the teachers working through the activities - and on the sequencing activity the groups were challenged by a couple of the tasks - one was sequencing 3 pictures that showed a snowman in a snow storm and then melting in the sun. Teachers had never seen snow, had no idea what a snowman was - or in what order. I shared the story of Frosty the snowman - and they giggled delightedly and put the pictures in order.
We ate lunch with the group - pap (a maize dish), chicken, vegetables, another meet and a salad. Salad is safe when one doesn't know what's there. In the past week the buffets we attended had tripe and braised cow's feet. No I didn't brave those but I did try the liver from an unknown animal. Tasted OK but pretty well done.
The other team joined us so there were 7 of us in the van traveling the 120 K back. Noah drove closer to the speed limit today. It's not been a good week for animals - yesterday we saw a baby baboon who didn't make it across the road and today 2 large goats were too slow.
Tonight Carolyn from Canada is making dinner - butter chicken is the menu. We are pooling funds and cooking - and having great meals!
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