The journey continues...

On Friday we also visited Lungisa Secondary School. They serve learners in grades 8-12. We met with the principal, two deputy (assistant) principals, and the heads of departments. We discussed the similarities and differences in teaching between our two countries. In particular, we had an interesting discussion about discipline. They indicated their primary form of discipline is talking with the parents. Suspension does exist, but it can only be carried out after discussions with a number of different people. It would be unheard of for a principal to suspend a student without having several extensive conversations with various constituencies. They do not have anything similar to in-school suspension. And, in our conversation, we hesitated to even mention it for fear it would sound like a viable alternative.The school has been vandalized several times and they are still trying to repair several rooms. There is a newly implemented feeding program in the schools and it is helping to keep young people in school. 

In this short video, Katie Snyder reads to a group of 1st graders. At this school, they officially start English instruction in 4th grade. Each school picks its language of instruction. This decision is made with the parents, teachers, and school's governing board. Since South Africa has 11 national languages, students can receive instruction in their home language. But, once a school picks a language of instruction, that is the language the teachers use when teaching. In practice, teachers at our school switch between isiXhosa and English when the students seem to have difficulty understanding the concept in English.

On Saturday we visited Addo Elephant park. It was created in 1931 because there were only 11 elephants left in the region. The park is home to the Big 5 (Elephant, Lions, Rhino, Buffalo, and Leopard). The park now has approximately 600 elephants and sees about 120,000 visitors each year. As we drove to the park (which is about 45 minutes from Port Elizabeth), our guide, Mark, noted the cemeteries and townships along the way. He told us that we would never see multistory accommodations in the townships because many Xhosa believe their homes need to be directly on the ground. He also noted that traditional Xhosa burials are quite elaborate because the Xhosa believe that one must honor one's ancestors. I have not had a chance to verify these statements with our Xhosa teachers and plan to do so when we return to school tomorrow. 

Today we visited with Paul Webb, a professor at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, and his wife Pam. Paul has visited UNCW and the Watson College of Education over the last several years. We talked about the similarities and differences between the U.S. and South Africa educational systems and the challenges of each. When I asked if there were many white teachers who go to teach in township schools, Paul stated that they actually had more to do so prior to the end of apartheid. Now, there are very few who do so. When we have posed this question to others, they have speculated that it may be because white teachers do not speak isiXhosa fluently and now schools are obligated to teach children in their home language. But, there does not seem to be a singular reason. The question of language is a critical one because, as Paul indicated, many schools are choosing English as the language of instruction. But, few mainstream teachers in the township schools are prepared to teach it. Adopting English also has profound implications with regard to history, power, and culture. Xhosa children are often having to learn in English before they have learned the same concepts in their home language.