The third week is always the hardest for us. We know our time is limited, but we become critically aware of what we can and cannot accomplish during our last week.
The school is also aware of our impending departure and tries to make the most of our time. The last week Larry observed six teachers he has been working with as they do a Read-aloud or a Big Book lesson.
Other teachers came by asking for his feedback on their lessons – and students in classes where he hasn’t sung this year stop him to voice “a complaint,” asking him to sing in their classes. Of course, he made time in his schedule!
Eileen continued reading stories to learners in Grade 1. The joy in their eyes as she read books like “Hop on Pop,” was overwhelming. The teachers joined in the fun. And then there were the poignant moments. After reading “Brown Bear, What Do You See?” Eileen asked the children to close their eyes and imagine what they see. During the share time, one girl said with a smile, “I see my mother.” The teacher later told her that the girl’s mother had passed away last week. Sadly, that is not uncommon there.
Partnering for Progress
We were in many meetings to try to finalize ways that we can support the school through the Kugler Family Education Fund, continuing into the future. These are always collaborative discussions with the school leaders and staff. Our goal is to support their efforts and their priorities.
This has been one of the most productive visits we’ve had, and the collaborative work has not ended now that we are home. One of the major factors impacting this year is an improvement in electronic communication. All the teachers and the community leaders communicate through WhatsApp and email on their phones. In past years, email was spotty and the basic phones were hard to use and limited to local calls; communication basically ended once we left. But this year, we have been able to clearly communicate electronically with contacts at the school and in the community while in South Africa and now that we’re home. This enables us to constantly stay in touch with the principal and to start some efforts in S.A. that we are continuing to develop in the U.S.
Increasing Access to the Library
We’re excited to report that we’ll be supporting a librarian-in-training for three days a week at the school! It is challenging to find qualified librarians for township schools, so the municipal librarians have undertaken what we call a “grow your own” program in the U.S. – empowering someone from the community with training and support.
We met with Sinoxolo Jack, a young woman from the township who is eager to take on the librarian role. Sinoxolo has already read to learners at Bukani as part of a weekly program sponsored by the municipal library to build a love for reading with the younger learners.
We are in the process of developing a joint agreement between the school, the Municipal Library, and our Education Fund to provide a stipend for this position. Sinoxolo will receive training and be mentored by the established librarians as well as the teachers on the Library Committee at Bukani. We'll get regular reports on the progress - and keep you posted.
Parents Get to Sing, Too!
Over the years, we’ve built close relationships with families in the township, and mothers and grandmothers stopped Eileen to ask when the program for families will be this year. On our third week, we held an interactive family program. We wanted to give the parents a chance to share in all the fun we’ve been having with the students, building literacy through singing, Big Books, and Read-alouds.
There was an overflow crowd of families for the after-school event. Acting Principal Lamani was happy to share some of the learning enhancements going on at Bukani. The families sang along to “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands,” and loved the hand motions for “She’ll be Coming ‘Round the Mountain” as much as their children do. A large group of students stayed after school to sing for the families and many stayed even later for special singing with Larry once their families left.
Eileen read from Eric Carle’s “From Head to Toe” as kids craned their necks like giraffes, waved their arms like monkeys, and beat their chests like gorillas. We encouraged the families to ask about the books their children are reading and sit together to look through the books and talk about the pictures. The ability to read English is not essential to value and enjoy these books together.
Larry’s been teaching Think-Pair-Share to the teachers since our first visit in 2008 and has watched as the learners have begun to talk more freely over the years during the pair time. Yet when he or the teachers ask them to raise their hands and share with the class only the same few hands go up. So this year he brought 3” x 3” stickies and he and a couple of the teachers encouraged learners to write after they talked with a partner. In Ms Breakfast’s grade 7 class and Ms Njenje’s grade 6 class the kids virtually leaped from their desks after furiously writing for a minute or two to post their thoughts on the board. In one class they even remained at the board to read what others had written. The change in energy from the previous experience of there not being a peep when they were asked to share verbally was amazing. The technique will be renamed “Think-Pair-Write.” Writing on stickies or small pieces of paper is less threatening than having a large sheet to fill. Hopefully this will be a springboard to expended writing and/or responding to each other’s writing. Now that we can communicate thru WhatsApp, Larry looks forward to hearing from the teachers about how writing is progressing. Both teachers, new to A.V. Bukani, have brought a positive and encouraging presence to English instruction.
Something new, unexpected, and highly encouraging was two teachers having prepared complete written lesson plans. This had never happened in any previous visit. Ms. Nongongona, a grade 3 teacher Larry has worked with in the past, introduced her Big Book lesson by reading a poem that perfectly set the stage for the message of the book. She even developed three activities as a follow up, geared to the different capabilities of her students. Ms. Ntshoko, the head teacher for grades R (kindergarten) and 1, who Eileen had worked with, excitedly asked Larry to come observe a Big Book lesson. She invited her fellow Grade 1 teachers to observe and share comments. There was a desk set up with a printed copy of her lesson plan, a blank sheet of paper and a pencil (for Larry to take notes), all ready for him. Both teachers incorporated so many appropriate components of a lesson into their planning and both implemented very effective lessons that engaged their learners.
Finally, Larry continues to find teaching the learners fun and uplifting songs the highlight of each day. There is nothing like their unbridled joy as they learn the songs, begin to sway back and forth in their seats, and then break into clapping and dancing as they embody the words of songs like “This Little Light of Mine” and “Peace Like a River in My Soul.” It just doesn’t get any better than this! Can’t wait till we return next year!
You are Making a Difference
For those of you who have donated time and money to this project over the years, we hope you have seen the impact. Here is a summary of what we were able to accomplish so far this year through volunteer time and the resources provided by your continuing donations.
* Professional development for teachers of English in Grades 3 - 7 on use of Big Books, Read-alouds and Think-Pair-Share/Write.
* Professional development for teachers in Grade 1 on Read-alouds and Big Books.
*Donation of laptops which were equipped with new hard-drives, Windows and Office. (We appreciate our anonymous laptop donor!)
*Purchase of memory to upgrade existing computers in the lab.
* Donation of new big books and accompanying sets of classroom readers (Special thanks to Reed O’Brien of O’Brien Associates of Richmond)
* Recruitment and support of a librarian-in-training for A.V. Bukani for three days per week, including mentoring by the municipal librarians and Bukani staff.
* Support of comprehensive computer training for the entire A.V. Bukani staff in a 10-module program after school.
* A family engagement program to build a love of books and reading.
We’ll be reporting on progress throughout the year and we are in touch with school leaders on additional needs that arise.
A Lifelong Connection
At our Farewell Party (there always is quite a party), Principal Lamani said, “Thank you for choosing our school.” As we sat there, we realized we didn’t just choose the school. It chose us, as well.
You can read about the actions we took that ended up connecting us with A.V. Bukani in 2008, but that really doesn’t tell the story. In a much greater sense, we chose each other. From the first time we stepped foot in the school, the teachers and families in this community of deep Christian faith saw the hand of God in our finding this school in a rural area of a country far from our home. In our religious tradition, it was “bashert” – a Yiddish word that means “meant to be.” However it came to be, it is. We are inextricably connected. And always will be.
Teacher Mr. Tanato made a powerful statement at the Farewell. “When they write the history of A.V. Bukani, the Kuglers will be a part of it. You are a part of us.” And when people talk of us, they will always include our connection to this South African school.
We’re hoping to bring more teachers with us on our next trip, likely August 2020. If you are interested, let us know. We're working on some plans for this and we'll keep you informed.
Here's some of the fun from our Farewell Party. Oh how we miss these kids. (Let's face it - we miss everyone there!)
