Teachers Without Borders – South Africa 2007

Lily Vu - Vancouver, Canada : Science

At thirty years of age, I have been teaching for seven years and thought that I knew quite well the trials and triumphs of being a teacher. There were days that I believed that I could make a difference and have made a difference, and then there were days when I felt defeated and under-valued.

Teaching in West Vancouver, Canada, I feel triumphant when I help a student understand a concept through the use of the web, powerpoint, or computer simulations, or at the very least, using posters and models. Being a chemistry teacher, performing labs to understand concepts are routine and expected. I also feel pride when my student successfully enters post secondary institutions, may it be UBC, or MIT.

I feel defeated when I cannot motivate a student to care about the subject, or when a student takes for granted the role that I play in his/her life as a teacher, assuming that I am simply a talking head that s/he must listen to for five hours a week. These are sentiments that I believed all teachers feel at one time or another….until I went to South Africa with Teachers without Borders.

The trials and obstacles facing South African teachers are so much greater than anything I could imagine. Where I take lab experiments to be routine learning outcomes, these teachers do not even have the right equipment for performing simple labs. They lack proper glasswares, chemicals, simple measuring tools. The classrooms that we visited, none had electrical outlets, as a result, things like a projector, or powerpoint is impossible. The teachers lack the simplest learning resources like posters and models. The classrooms are overly crowded, 76 students in a science nine class, 102! students in a math eight class. One classroom was so crowded, one student sat in the closet shelf.

Had I been in these situations, I don’t know what I could have done to motivate my students, given so little! But I was humbled to see how determined these teachers were to see their students succeed. They took time out of their vacations, braved harassment and possible ridicule during the teacher strike, to come out and learn new ideas and learning techniques to bring back to their students. They traveled far, some coming from different cities, and braved cold weather (it was winter for them after all). They were truthful about their shortcomings, willing to admit their ignorance without shame, so that they could learn new things to better their students’ lives. They asked about what they could do to allow their students to learn without having the benefit of all the technologies we have. They opened my eyes to how much one can teach without having to use fancy equipment, as long as you have a willing heart and your audience has an open mind and a hunger to learn.

We visited Mdlangaswa School in KwaZulu one Monday morning as school resumed after the winter break. The students have a tremendous hunger for learning! There are nineteen year olds going back to grade nine math to better themselves. I find that to be commendable and incredibly encouraging. Students are fully engaged in class, eager to learn and eager to answer and please their teachers. The respect afforded the teachers is genuine. And so is my respect for these teachers.

In one short month, I have revived my spirit in teaching and feel that in the seven years of being a teacher, I have contributed the most to my profession in doing this and that I have done my most valuable work thus far. I have two incredible people to thank who without their kind heart and vision this could not have happened, Noble Kelly who opened my eyes to this unforgettable opportunity and to Yunus Peer whose vision started the whole mission. I also want to say a big thank you to the TWB Team of 2007 for showing me the ropes and welcoming me so wholeheartedly…you all have made the journey that much more unforgettable. As Nelson Mandela said: “ One person CAN make a difference…it just takes time ..”

Together, we can do so much more!