Week Nine

The final week

This week came much quicker than anticipated, it flew past.

This week there was not much teaching for me, I was finishing up and ensuring that I have all I need for my portfolio. This experience was only nine weeks, and looking back the skills learnt are immeasurable.

There were some more classes that needed individuating, using the techniques of clear instructions and identifying individuals helped in this regard. At first I wasn't really able to connect to the learners or just have a chat with them, however that has since changed and I can now have valuable conversations with the learners.

The one grade 10 class that I have had for all of my subjects, are special. Special in many ways, they are one of the smartest, “quickest” classes that I have come across during this time, unfortunately they also easily influence one another and not in a positive manner. There is one teacher who has complete control of them and in whose class they are quite and participate, the rest of their teachers dread them. However, this class also has strong individuals, since the beginning I have had a strong bond with this class. A relational bond mostly, having avoid to teach them, I have heard and shared personal stories with these learners and became acquainted with their circumstances. There was one specific learner who was interested and paid special attention to me. Unfortunately, this specific learner was one of the disrupters in class and smoking at school. About two weeks back he has been changing his behaviour, no longer disruptive in class and told me that this week he stopped smoking at school at least. This learner somehow found his way into my heart, he had his disciplinary hearing on Thursday where his future was to be decided fortunately he only has one-week suspension and I honestly think that he has learnt his lesson and is changing his ways now.

I don’t know if I had a major influence, but I do hope that even if this whole nine weeks end up only having resulted in this one learner changing his ways.

Week eight

Looking forward I cannot but see the end! I am truly excited with this being the second last week.

This week, where do I start; there was very highs and very lows. Starting with the bad, yesterday there was an incident at school where one of the grade 9 learners, who was being disrespectful pushed a teacher. Asking the teacher, she explained, that after break she started reprimanding him in the line already, getting up to the class everyone was now being communicative (making a noise). In an attempt to quiet them she separated them according to gender, wanting to speak to the boys outside. She turned he back on the boys to calm down the girls inside when the one boy pushed her from the back. Fortunately, this learner has been suspended. Unfortunately, though that specific class still remain a grave concern to the school. This incident was brought to the attention of everyone at school and very clearly highlighted as something that is unacceptable.

On a separate event on Wednesday on of the learners ran into a seven-month pregnant teacher. The learner came with a force as he was running and unaware of her around the corner. Another teacher has warned her to be careful of learners, but not having had an incident nor fully understanding the effects and force of such a bump she ignored it. The bump had her off sick for the rest of the week. We sometimes regret to acknowledge the possibility of harm.

There is this saying rather be safe than sorry, in the reality of working with kids this quote took on a whole new meaning for me. If you are careful you will never experience what could have been the after effects, but if you’re not save, the affects can be never ending and even destroy your career.

Today when my mentor teacher left the class to do some admin, leaving the learners with work and in silence with me to supervise. The class started out quiet but eventually they were out of control and making a noise. Trying various methods, they just kept on going, I told them that I would keep them during break. This did not immediately silence them, but a soon as the announcements started I closed the door, which immediately caught their attention. The bell rang, the class was dead quiet until… One female learner started packing her bag as soon as the announcements started and stormed me after the bell rand. Fortunately, by the time she reached me the teacher opened the door. I was both shocked and taken aback by her behavior, this was uncharted territory for me – being stormed by a learner.

At first learners where listening as I was still new and interesting, but with the teachers help I have been trying various methods of teaching and trying to make interesting for them. The classes that I have been teaching from the beginning of term were semi responsive while other classes that I have not taught yet are very interested and engaged in the lessons. Teachers that assured me that although there are techniques that I still need to master the learners are also just lazy and not wanting to work. Their tests have started, they are merely focused on the tests at hand and not much else.  

Week Seven

Only now we are really settling in. Teachers are becoming more comfortable having us around and actually ask for assistance in various aspects, this was a welcome change.

I started this week off stressed, it was my final two evaluation lesson on the same day. The one subject was my favorite and the other my least favorite. Prep started over the weekend and by Wednesday I was as ready as possible.

Second period is the first lesson, so having planned on just rehearsing and cover everything again, I was caught by surprise when the lecturer arrived and insisted on talking beforehand. This ended up being a good talk (setting me at ease) I even learned a few valuable lessons in that short while.

The lecturer pointed out that the didactic triangle (teacher, learner and content) is the most important and fragile things in the classroom. That these three things need to be carefully attended to. He also said that he knows we probably know that we haven’t even heard of it, luckily I could inform him that we are acquainted with the didactic triangle. He was even a bit surprised. The lecture also mentioned that there is no excuse for bad education. A country with also a developing status who have an 100% literacy rate for people between the ages of 18 and 23.

During the first lesson, Economics, technology failed me. This left me in a bit of a predicament and as I result I was high reliable on the textbook. Afterwards the lecturer advised to preferably restrain from being dependent on the textbooks and working out of it during class. The children were also different, maybe due to the lecturer being there. Normally economics classes are always to short, because of everything involving economics the lesson tends to drift, however during this lecture the learners were conserved and not actively taking part in the class discussions.

Next up was Accounting, although I did not feel as confident about the lesson the learners helped. This lesson ended up being the better of the two lessons, the learners (grade 11 vs grade 10) were not as affected by the lecturer than with the previous class and everything went smoothly. The lecturer asks afterwards whether accounting was my favorite of the two subjects as that was what he gathered. From this I learned that yes we as the teachers are in charge of the classroom but that learner behavior also predicts to a certain extend the flow of the classroom.

As the week continued I also continued with my teaching, a pattern was confirmed. In the accounting class the learners seemed to be more cooperative as they were wanting to work, however for economics they were not interested.

Grade 10 economics for term 3 mainly consisted of economic history, the learners did not like this. We (me, the teacher and the other student) tried to include interesting facts and make the history applicable to the learners, but also this didn't work. The learners and especially the one specific class has very little if any interest in economics, which made teaching them difficult.

Taking a break from my teaching I was asked to invidualate grade 8’s and grade 9’s for two periods. The class in which I had to invidualate was next to the hall, where grade 12 learners were writing exams. Because of the reputation that these two grades have been building up, the senior teachers were fed up with them and their behavior. The result for them was not as beneficial as for me. During the first lesson one senior teacher came in and addressed the learners, while addressing them she was guiding me. She multi-tasked well. This teacher was highly effective in her address to the learners, they were quiet and productive for the rest of the period even after she left. During her address she pointed out that; learners always need clear instructions, that any and all confusion should be addressed, learners act differently in groups and therefor need to be singled out, and that when trying to appeal to them you as the teacher need to appeal to their humanity.

This week was a true learning experience!

Week six

Being a teacher, for me involves helping, guiding and forming bonds with these young minds that we teach. However, observing and teaching in these past few weeks have shown that this, especially forming bonds with individual learners is merely impossible. Classes come in, have a lesson and leave. Very few learners have the confidence to personally engage with you as the teacher and other might just not care.

This week started off normal and relaxed, in the sense that I am finally getting in routine and fitting in at school. However, this quickly changed at staff meeting Monday after school. One teacher came asking for a student teacher with a car. Up to this point I have had no interaction with this teacher, she informed me that it would be to accompany learners to a Mathematics function at The Capetonian. The function stated that it would include a five course meal and guest speakers for the learners. Arrangements were made and on Wednesday morning at 05:20 I picked up the four grade 11 learners who I was to accommodate to this event. According to the teachers and other informants we had to leave Kraaifontein at that time to miss traffic. The function was supposed to start at 08:00, we arrived in Cape Town at 06:15. We drove around and ended up having McDonalds. By now I knew the learners’ names and something interesting about each of them. The function ended up starting at 09:00 because some schools were caught in traffic. Here lectures from different universities spoke to the learners and encouraged them to continue with their exceptional achievements in mathematics. The best part of the day however was driving back with these learners and dropping them off at their homes, in areas which I have never been before. After the day we also had more common ground and things to talk about.

Thursday I left school early and accompanied five learners to the Eskom Expo held in Stellenbosch. They have a mentor, a student payed by the University which helped them with the set and prepared them for the judges. On Friday I spent the day with these learners telling them about Stellenbosch and talking around town with them, they continuously complained about that we walked.

Although not having spent much time in the classroom this week, I do feel that I learned a lot. Spending time with these learners, in such small groups with plenty of time for individual attention really opened me to knowledge about them, their community and things at school. They were discussing events happening at school (which I did not know about), teachers and their strategies and most importantly things about the community that helped me with background about most learners at school.

While at school tough there were a few classes that had to be looked after, these included mainly grade 8 and 9 learners. The horrors of the school! These learners have attitude (the bad kind), are talkative, disrespectful and very entitled. They have an answer for everything, it literally just takes one “smart” learner to get the whole class making a noise and being disrespectful. The teacher that teach these learners have not prepared work for them at this time, and being grade 8 and 9 they rarely have homework. Monday and Tuesday was horrible, being detective and trying to calm these classes.  

Eventually I came to the realization that these learners had to be kept busy, if not work then play but they had to be kept quiet. Having done some research and looking up classroom games on the Internet I decided to give it a try. First there was interesting brainteasers, this was fun for a short while. It was set up in an American context and thus limited the amount of brain teasers that we could use, also some of the games the learners just didn't like or could not succeed in. Winners was a game we played at school which involves choosing a letter from the alphabet and hangman. These two games saved the day. Learners were quiet, actively participating and respecting one another.

Valuable lessons learned from this week; learners need to be kept busy at all times and it is very important to be involved in activities which allow for individual bonds to be formed with the learners. 

Week 5: Reality vs Ideology

A pen, black or blue it is what most people use for writing or taking notes. I take one to school with me each day, whether it is for my own use or to assist teachers with admin I also have one. Living in our current world I realise that one has to protect your property and look after it. After the first week the first pen was gone. Thinking that I left it somewhere or a learner took it, but me being naïve I never considered one of the learners in the classes that I teach the most. It is one of the other classes that I had to observe or help out at, definitely not my classes. Taking pen two, I select one which is marked and that I know not a single learner can lay claim to. Last week pen two disappears. This now officially an issues for me, I start thinking of precautionary measures and possible solutions to these disappearing pens. For this week is browed pens from learners each period and returned it to them after the period, inconvenient at times but cheaper than my other alternative.

Thursday approaches, teaching mathematically literacy and going out of my way to help all the learners and help them individually understand. There is one boy, who asks something every five minutes and celebrates when he understands. I took this as I complement, thinking that if it is only this one learner that I help its ok. End of the period and this boy has another question; I am at his desk trying to think of a different approach to his problem. Low and behold… there is one of my pens, written Hoerskool Postmasburg on it. I was stunned, disappointed and sad.

Friday, ‘my class’ (as I have them for all three of my subjects) need an invigilator. There is pen number two, a blood bank pen. Investigation showed that this pen has been traveling through the entire class since they took it from my possession. This week I intend to ask one of the teachers some of their class time to have a serious discussion with these learners and very clearly communicating my disappointment.  Hopefully the results will be more respect and a better attitude towards education and educators – only time will tell.

Fortunately, I do not need to teach these learners further, so their reaction to our discussion I might still teach them. This was quite a shock to my system this whole event with the pens. This was supposed to be my class, the one place where is would surely be able to make a difference. These learners are smart and I believe this may be a contributing factor to why teachers have disciplinary issues with them, they are ahead with work and then disciplinary issues arise. This was a challenge I saw and fully embraced and then just when I tough that I have built both individual and a class relationship with these learners, it blows up and I see that I was surely fooling myself.

Entering the next week, I look forward to teaching other classes, having fun and building new relationships. The classes that have been allocated practicing teachers welcome them with open arms, thus other opportunities for me. 

Week Four

Week four – the short yet continuous week

This was thought to be an amazing week, only three days and then weekend and rest again. Unfortunately, this week seemed to be never-ending!

Wednesday started, the day started cheerfully teachers celebrating birthdays that occurred during the past weekend, all together a happy environment. My thoughts were on another planet tough. On Tuesday I tried to prepare as much as possible for my evaluation lesson taking place on Thursday. All of this preparation seem to have been wasted as the teacher did not agree with what I had prepared and what she was still doing, a communication gap. This was luckily to be fixed as me and the involved teacher decided on a topic and manner of teaching for the next day. Another teacher on the staff gave me some tips and guidelines of how to go about.

Thursday took its time to eventually begin, the minutes before my lesson felt like hours and my nerves ever increasing. During the break announcements I was informed that my lecturer has arrived and is waiting for me. Wow, this just became very real. My mind was a mess, trying to have everything in order and trying to establish whether there is anything that I could have missed.

The whole experience ended up being almost the exact opposite of what I expected. I expected my lecturer to arrive, him/her to attend my lesson and afterwards to be a real critic about what he/she just saw. To my surprise, the person coming to evaluate me was an elderly man, young in spirit and extremely kind. Lectures from other institutions have been in the waiting room, and there was nothing special about it, however this Oom. He created a cheerful atmosphere and was kindly speaking and engaging everyone around. I must say this eased the greeting process, he was friendly, exactly explained the process of what is about to take place, a short history about him and why he is here and not my lecturer.

After break we went to meet the learners at their reporting station, and we all continued to the class. Once in the class we greeted, I introduced the Oom and explained to the learners that we are just to continue as normal. After my short introduction, he also spoke to the learners. At first I was taken aback as this was unexpected, but it ended up being comforting to both me and the students. The lesson began and ended…

Receiving feedback was more of a learning and pleasant experience, than what I expected. The lesson was discussed and recommendations regarding it made. The most important of which is that I need to better time my lesson plans and maybe involve the learners by having them help me time activities.

Mr Honing (Oom), I thank you! I learned so much more than I could have asked for. It’s amazing meeting people who share a passion with you and above that share their wisdom freely.

After that lesson third period I was drained and the rest of Thursday just did not want to pass. Friday finally arrived and was well celebrated, by both learners and teachers. Somehow this short week ended up feeling longer than most other five day weeks. 

Week Three

The learners become comfortable with us being around. This week our responsibilities started and we were appointed classes with off periods, this was a challenge… The school has periods long enough for students to complete homework, thus having free time only equals to fun for them. They are not the quiet chatty types, nor did they know that whispering a whole conversation was possible. I am still not quite sure whether they have grasped this concept.

We are about 15 teaching students doing practical at the school, however all have different time frames in which this will be completed. We are however 5 staying for the full duration of the third term. The principle called all five of us into his office for a discussion. This just started confusing for me… I was in a “busy” let’s not call it a rowdy class, thus we only heard some of the announcements but I was not concerned as I am very seldom involved with announcements. We heard the announcements going of a second time, but we were still busy with the lesson so we continue being “busy”. We finish the discussion and the class becomes quite, the next moment the intercom goes off; the principle in a very serious voice says: ‘Juffrou Bredenkamp, Juffrou ek wag vir jou!’ I don’t know who had the biggest scare me or the teacher I was at. Needless to say I was scared now!

Luckily it was only to talk to us because of the period of our duration, that we will be staying longer and thus really be regarded as teachers. With this he shared with us that the biggest challenge new teachers face is that of discipline, he also invites us to press the intercom and inform him immediately when a class is out of control and not being disobedient. This sounded like one offer that I would wish not to take up, however as the week continues I struggle with discipline. Other student teachers tell me to buzz the principle, not be afraid and that I only need to make an example of one student.

The class that I was allocated, grade 10 D was taking advantage of me and ruling the class, it was ciaos. The next moment on impulse I decide to make good on my promise of buzzing the principle. He answers by first reprimanding the teacher I am with, the learners were refusing to listen to her too, and only then reprimanding the learners. I honestly did not gain anything out of this at that moment. The class was quite for the rest of the period, they had a double (two hours). To date those where the two longest periods of my school career as a teacher.

I apologised to the teacher after school, luckily this class’s reputation exceeds it and this was my saving grace. Because of their reputation the principle did not do further investigation into the matter. I avoided the class and the teacher for about two days. I had to settle in with my teacher relationship, which is thankfully renewed. However, my relationship with the class has changed, they respect and accept me as a teacher now, although we still have relationship.

During this week ATKV choir finals were held in Stellenbosch and my school were to attend. I didn’t care much for the kids, but the teacher that was accompanying them. Firstly, it was great see to familiar faces and gain wisdom from a veteran. This one teacher is now at the university, nonetheless the advice he gave was of invaluable worth. His advice was; to set clear boundaries, the learners should trust you but not see you as their friend (the position I was in at the moment), to be very strict and not show your “nice” side as this will help with respect and to be consequential and fair (thus to follow through on threats and statements). This helped me to understand the current situation that I was in and how to out from under to rise to the top.

I learned a lot during this week, it was not exceptionally fun as my comfort zone was invaded and stretched. But there’s a saying; “Life only starts at the end of your comfort zone”.

Amazement consumed me, there is still so much to learn… I was both scared and filled with excitement to develop.