Ralph Dykes – Punahou School, Science Dept.
The generosity of nearly everyone we met, struck me first and foremost. We were welcomed and treated as honored guests way beyond the value of what I believe we did for the people we met. I just hope we came close to earning the hospitality we received. Many individuals deserve mention, but I will probably fail to include them all. I hope I will offend no one, and that whoever reads this will understand that I am extremely grateful to many, many people in both Hawaii and South Africa.
PLACES AND EXPERIENCES
After a day-long exam review workshop with 215 seniors, we worked for four days with 70 or so local teachers at the Vaal University of Technology. These were high school teachers who came from the surrounding towns and villages, some traveled a few hours a day to attend. The teachers were very dedicated to their profession and anxious to find ways to improve the knowledge and performance of their students. On Friday, we were all treated to an elaborate lunch and closing ceremony filled with song, prayer and good wishes. We drove 600 kilometers down to the Kwa-Zulu coast on the weekend, to Port Shepstone, home of the Peer Family.
The teaching at Port Shepstone High School went well, though we did work with a fairly large group (about 40 students in a large classroom). If I had it to do over, knowing what I know now, I would separate them into smaller groups, and possibly rotate the groups. I routinely asked the students who solved problems first to help the others (as I do at Punahou). They seemed pleased to be asked. I see it as a good technique to leverage the teacher’s effectiveness. I didn’t overtly recommend this tactic to the teachers we worked with, but I hope the power of example was not lost on them. It was reassuring to see that the three local teachers began to join us in circulating among the students while we had them working to solve problems.
The fourth and final workshop took place in Umtata, in the Eastern Cape Province, at TRINSET, a teacher-training college. This is where I saw the most enthusiasm. The administrators really helped us get going and made us feel welcome, and the teachers were also great to work with. All together, more than 160 teachers attended the TWB-SA workshop in Umtata. I personally believe I became my most effective in Umtata when we split the teachers into a science-advanced group and a less advanced group. A few of the teachers in my “advanced” group didn’t say much, but after we got going, most of them were active contributors to our mutual effort (lab experiments and discussions of specific topics). Many of the teachers are highly knowledgeable; I certainly used them for answers to questions I was not sure of myself. I believe this sharing with colleagues was one of the best things to happen in Umtata. In fact, when we came to difficult questions (sometimes I even pretended not to know answers when I really did) it was great to see a few of the teachers take over the class (Otto, Steve, and “Zweesh” especially). And then, a few of the others began challenging them on some of the more difficult scientific points. To me, this was the best educational stuff of the summer. I was particularly impressed by the pregnant lady (sorry, I’ve left her unpronounceable name at home as I write this) who watched quietly while several people tried unsuccessfully to balance a complex chemical equation. Then when everybody appeared to be exhausted, she quietly stepped up to the board and solved it, to the awe of everyone. After returning to Hawaii, I bought and mailed a good stopwatch to the pregnant lady (she had asked how to get one). I haven’t heard from her yet, and hope it got through to her.
PEOPLE
Ameena Peer – (Cassim Peer Education Trust, Port Shepstone, RSA) Ameena richly deserves her place as the honored matron in this endeavor. When she invited us into her home, it was as though we were old family friends. I can’t say enough to praise her as the pillar of this family. I wish her a long and happy reign at River View.
Gora and Cecelia Peer truly gave us a home away from home. Not just a roof over our heads, but a feeling that we had one place that was our “home” on this trip. It must have been tiring for them to meet our needs while keeping up with their own day jobs, but I never saw any sign that we were a burden to them. (How could we not be?) The friendship, excellent food, and great stories made their place a wonderful retreat, all the more so after being away for a time – to a workshop in the Vaal or Umtata.
Pauline Duncan was at our Port Shepstone workshops everyday. As a soon-to-be retiring TWB-SA administrator, she worked tirelessly to make sure that everything was in order so that learning could take place. She was MC at the closing ceremony in Port Shepstone and she is a great asset to TWB-SA and her community in South Africa.
Dr. Razvi Ahmed, Firdoz and their family in Roshnee. I was touched that they put themselves out to host us in their home for an elaborate dinner. I really enjoyed meeting the extended families of Razvi and of Yunus Chamda. And those were great stories that Razvi told about his trip to Republic of Congo.
Yunus Chamda (ANC – City Councillor of Vereeniging) is a truly impressive man. He is both a gentleman and a statesman. I expect to read about him in the future as he moves up among the leaders of South Africa. I particularly enjoyed being able to speak with him personally about many things, and then watch him move to a lectern and deliver words of wisdom and encouragement to a large crowd of people.
Thys and Sandra and their children did a fine job of preparing our meals at the dormitories of the Vaal University of Technology. Made us feel like honored guests. And I at least quadrupled my knowledge of lubricants and machines in conversations with Thys.
Yunus Peer is the superorganizer — not only in basic logistics, schedules, etc. but in anticipating and responding to needs that most people would not think of. This encompasses two things: (1) the ability to perceive such needs, and (2) the desire/choice to accommodate them. Once in South Africa, he not only made sure we were fed and housed, he took the trouble to share the color and personality of the places we visited. Examples: The monument at the massacre in Sharpeville, the Nelson Mandela Museum, the fishing pier at Port Shepstone, Madiba’s birthplace, the stage production of the musical African Footprint, Oribee Gorge, the long walk down the beach (and back) on the Wild Coast, and Port St. Johns. None of these things was necessary to our “mission” and I’m personally grateful that Yunus chose to include them for us. Yunus is also the “spiritual leader” of TWB-SA. His dedication to the purpose of TWB in South Africa always reminded me of why we were there. At times, I even felt like we were wasting time playing tourist when there was so much that we needed to accomplish. I assume the “extras” are Yunus’ way of (1) helping us “feel” the place the way he does; and (2) making the trip an experience that the teachers will want to repeat.
Thank you to the Punahou community, the Peer Family and Friends, and the supporters of TWB-SA for providing the opportunity for a wonderful experience.
Sincerely, Ralph Dykes