INSIGHTS - by Mike Hu (Chemistry) TWB-SA 2002

"Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care". With these words, Dr Samson Nyawuza, Port Shepstone Regional education director, ended his keynote address at the civic function honoring 76 district teachers of math and science attending the final workshop by Teachers Without Borders at Port Shepstone High School. (July 15 - 19, 2001)

After 5 eye-opening weeks in S. Africa I have some personal observations and reflections. The first observation I came away with was the absolutely crushing poverty that so many people live in.. I drove through Soweto at dusk. Soweto has millions of blacks living in shantytowns as far as the eye could see in every direction. It was winter and cold and every shanty had a little smokestack attesting that the occupants were burning high sulfur coal to keep warm. The air pollution was unbelievable and it made for a gorgeous red sunset. People walked around and breathed that horrible air as if it were normal - I found that truly sad.

I visited Mdlangaswa Secondary School (don't try to pronounce that, it'll injure your mouth) to see a typical rural, black school and to visit with teachers who were coming to the workshops we were leading. The science teacher was so proud to show us 4 new fluorescent lights in her classroom. There were no switches or outlets, just 4 lights controlled from the principal's office. No electricity, no water, no heat, no equipment of any kind, just chairs, tables and a blackboard. They did have 25 scientific calculators donated by a Punahou teacher that were locked up in the principal's office. The beams of the classroom were covered in math and science equations and formulas that could be seen from the students' side of the room, not the teacher's. Attempts at clandestine test aids apparently are universal. A 20 student choir appeared out of nowhere and sang a few folk songs for us. The singing was passionate, sonorous and delightful. Africans sing a lot and they all sing in harmony. They sing at sporting events, formal ceremonies, informal parties and for passing the time doing work. The singing is characterized by shimmering sopranos and thundering basses. Singing makes you forget poverty.

The 5 day workshops were difficult, exhilirating, tiring and humbling. I taught groups of 12-20 teachers at a time. We covered all the big topics that showed up on their students' matriculation exams. I showed them how I taught, how I dissected the exams, how I used collaborative learning among the students and the most important thing, how to do labs without chemicals and laboratory glassware. I truly had to be creative in the last one. On workshop days, I was talking continuously from 8 am to 4 pm. I answered questions during breaks, tea, lunch and yes, even standing at a urinal. I was humbled by the fact that at Punahou School (Hawaii) I taught 100 students one topic with 2 lab assistants, 12 computers and a fully stocked classroom. The African teachers taught 250-350 students different levels of math, physics and chemistry in the same day! In Port Shepstone on the coast, we advertised in the two newspapers that we would hold a workshop for seniors who wanted some help preparing for their exams. We expected 50 -100 students. 400 showed up! In my classroom with 36 chairs, I had 68 students writing down everything I said. The students first wanted to know if I had met Jackie Chan.

During my stay in South Africa, I watched lots of soccer on the tube because of the World Cup. South Africa as a country stopped when its team was playing World Cup soccer on TV. All the stores closed and there was no traffic on the roads. The only places that were open were sports bars with big screen TVs. I also watched a lot of rugby because South Africa was playing Australia and New Zealand. I also watched cricket. I now know how to score rugby and cricket matches. I learned many things about South Africa and about myself on this trip. Learning about cricket, however, was really a blazing waste of time.

I want to thank the sponsors of this project: Teachers Without Borders, Rotary International, the Peer Family, Punahou School and the many family and friends who, by their efforts, made this project possible . South African teachers are motivated, dedicated people who thirst for the knowledge that has been denied to them based on the color of their skin. We in the United States are blessed to have the opportunity to develop our skills with relatively little economic, political or bureaucratic hindrance. We have a wealth of talented teachers in Hawaii and the United States who would be honored to participate in projects like these. My wish is that in time, we can find more vehicles like this Teachers Without Borders project to share our skills with teachers around the globe so that ultimately more kids can have the opportunity to become productive citizens.