South Africa Reflection 2010

Jim Metz

The first Punahou-South Africa team arrived in South Africa in 2001. I came two years later (TWBSA) and have been part of the team each year since. While there have been changes over the years, we have remained true to the guiding principle that we are here as colleagues, not as experts, and this accounts for our enduring success. South African teachers from the very rural areas already endure much to educate their learners and yet they are willing to give up a week of their holiday time, leave their families, and in many cases travel many kilometers in order to attend our workshops. Their only reward is that they become better teachers. I simply cannot say enough about the remarkable dedication and resilience of the teachers with whom I have had such a great pleasure to share ideas. While they teach in appalling conditions, they persevere and do so joyously. I am in awe of the teachers, I am inspired.

This year as I was walking about in King Williamstown a lady came up and greeted me with a big smile and a hug and excitedly said, “You’ve come back! I had such a good time last year at the workshop and I am using what I learned.” She had attended our workshop in Mthatha last year. The next morning she was back at our workshop! I marvel at how quickly she changed her plans in order to attend our workshop again. Even now I wonder what she gave up in exchange for her time with us.

There is a magical feeling I have observed over the years and I attribute it to the interaction of colleagues in learning. Our project provides an unusual opportunity for teachers to meet other teachers and most importantly look together for solutions to problems rather than dwell on the difficulties. We all acknowledge the challenges then we set about designing appropriate responses. At the end of the day we are all better teachers and our learners are the beneficiaries. Good.

One of the most personally memorable experiences for me this year was seeing the reaction of Ben after I explained how he could slightly modify his model to allow him to show his learners why subtracting a negative is equivalent to adding a positive. When he understood, his eyes lit up and he exclaimed, “Yes, yes, yes! This is how we can do it! At last I have a way! I can’t wait to show my learners! Yes!” He grabbed my hand and shook it vigorously, danced a little, and said, “Oh, thank you, thank you so much!” Ben was near tears with joy and I was overcome by his excitement and smiled with him. This certainly was not the usual reaction I see after I explain something in maths. I was gratified that Ben had found something he had been searching for and that he could use in his teaching. I am confident that his learners appreciate what he does for them.

I continue to be impressed by the enthusiasm and intense focus teachers bring to every workshop. They listen and they argue and debate and smile and cheer as they share ideas and methods with each other. Some are to have their findings published in their country math journal, Learning and Teaching Mathematics. I am proud of their work. That several of the participants have returned, some multiple times, is also a testament to the success of our workshops. As one teacher expressed so aptly at the end of the week, “If we were not benefiting on Monday, we would not have come on Tuesday, and now it is already Friday and we are still here and sad we must part now.”

Thokozani is a Master Teacher and Head of Department at a rural school near Harding, about 80 kilometers down the road from Port Shepstone, our home. He attended the first Hawaii-South Africa workshop and all subsequent ones and assisted us in 2007. This year he again proved to be an able assistant administrator for our project, especially during the final week of workshops when the team was split between two venues. Tokozani took Buffy, Melisa, Gail and Daren to Lusikisiki while Yunus stayed with Bev and me in East London. He managed a successful workshop. He added much to the spirit of our team.

I want to commend Yunus for the extraordinary work he did, particularly managing a nightmare of a communication crisis, meeting with union and government officials to ensure that our workshops (and other related workshops) would take place. His skills with people are most remarkable.

I especially want to thank Gora Peer, brother of Yunus, for hosting the team as he has for 10 years, attending to our every need and wish and providing gourmet feasts during our stays in Port Shepstone. Also I thank Amena Peer, mother of Yunus, who has been our greatest supporter from the start. Her “Team Feast” is legendary. Thanks, Mom!

This year when the team left, I stayed. I am spending a sabbatical year in South Africa so that I can spend more time with teachers from the rural areas and experience village life, so I can better understand their challenges and improve what we bring to our workshops. I hope to learn more about the National Curriculum and how effectively it is implemented. I am looking forward to the opportunities and I plan to join the team again next June. I am profoundly grateful for the experiences I have had these past 7 years. Children are the most valuable asset of any country, more precious than all the gold, platinum and diamonds. I am pleased that Yunus and his teams are engaged in such a noble venture, the education of children. I trust that we can continue to assist in this process.