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Today was
our first day of classes and we would finally be meeting the children that we
had been so excited to get to know. Last night there were some long hours put
in on our teams sign. Yeah I guess I should go into the teams now. So while on the
outside The Mamelodi Initiative may appear to be about education, it is
secretly just about getting a bunch of really awesome kids from the township
together into groups so that we can have a three week competition for points to
prove who the best students are. While I’m mostly kidding about that, I am
partially not because all the teachers are fighting to have their classes most
clearly displaying class spirit by making cheers, behaving well and of course
excelling in the classroom. So back to the long hours, Siya and I’s class was
named the ducks, so I spent a good chunck of time making this sign for our
class inspired by the Mighty Ducks movie, one of the must sees of being an
American 90’s kid. All of a sudden room A3 turned into a menagerie of little
scholars, I say scholars, because these were 240 kids that had all decided they
would rather go to school over their winter brake than do anything else.
Because of that they are all special and different from most kids I have known
in the US.
Before class
Mische called attention to the massive assembly hall with no
microphone, an impressive feat to say the least. After some
announcements she had the children recite the mantra of The Mamelodi Initiative
program: learn, grow, dream, achieve and off to class we went. I lead my
ducklings next-door to room A4, and saw that for some reason Siya and I only
had two kids in our class. Oh well, it happened to work out quite well because
Katie and Constance are in the same class and they also had a group of 7th
and 8th graders. My students names are Zinhle and Nadipha. Today
continued to be a little off balance because we still had to slam the kids with
assessments so we could help them as much as possible with the time that we
have. I had a lot of free time while the kids were doing assessments, so I just
walked around the room a bit, thinking, reflecting and praying. After we were
done with all our assessments it was time for lunch, which the The Mamelodi
Initiative provides free to every student.
We went and found a nice sunny spot and I sat down with my two kids and got to
know them. Zinhle is a 14 year old girl, she is very tall for her age, probably
5’9”, she speaks five languages, she plays netball for her school and she loves
to shop. Nadipha is a 13 year old girl, she loves to sing, she has a very warm
personality, she speaks four languages and she may be one of the cutest kids I
have ever seen.
After lunch
it was time to get to our workshops and I was totally up for this, this is what
I had been waiting for. I got to my room next-door in A5 and had to keep it
cool as I realized Akeem, Abendnico and I would be teaching not two kids but twenty-one kids. With that first class the idea was to create my teaching environment, I
had taken time to think about being warm and friendly with my students. I
wanted them to know why I was passionate about it and a little of why I had
come all the way from North Carolina with this class on my mind and heart.
Akeem and Abendnico did the same thing, then we had the students of all ages
share why they were in the workshop and what they wanted to get out of it.
Nadipha sat front and center, quite and attentive. We had quite a lot of
trouble that first day and a lot of opportunities for us to lean as co-teachers
Of the 21 kids in my class it seemed only about 5 really wanted to be there.
One little guy, named Bongani who is well loved in the program but also a bit
of a clown started making some jokes in Sepedi. Well because my co-teachers and
I had not discussed what we would do in such a scenario, it got dealt with a
little differently than I’d have liked, but, oh well we’d figure it out later.
After giving them basics on how a camera works and a little lesson about light,
in which I took a flashlight and projected it through a manual lens onto the
board to demonstrate how a lens can change light for the desired usage, we were
done for the day.
The kids
left and I let out a huge sigh. My mind was racing and I was not feeling good
at all about having to control so many kids. When I went home, I ended up in
my hammock in the tree at Kilnerton typing.
As I look up
at the gorgeous golden hour light being dappled through the leaves of the tree
I wondered how in the world I was going to get those kids to cooperate, be
engaged and see the things I have seen in photography that make it so
beautiful. I am thinking about Ernest Cole, the most renowned photographer from
South Africa that was born in Mamelodi. His documentary work covered the Apartheid
Museum. I am thinking of him and realizing the truth that all of these kids
have the same potential as he did. Today I feel exhausted, worried and a little
shell shocked from all the difficulties teaching is going to be. I think of how
I am going to capture The Mamelodi Initiative through film and I come up with
blanks. Today ends with many questions left unanswered for me, but, even now as
I sit here feeling off I take solace in the fact I am doing what I came here to
do. I feel calmed knowing Jesus never said following him would be easy. I feel fulfilled
knowing tomorrow is a new day with a new opportunity to work with some great
kids and to do it better.
It’s boring to be fake and pretend its all rainbows and
unicorns in our online presences, the best things in life often come out of
struggle.
Please pray that:
The kids that signed up for my class would all show up. The
fact that there were kids who somehow took the initiative to sign up but never
come to program greatly concerns me.
Kids would come and be consistent in attendance and try to realize
what a great opportunity they have and that they take advantage of every
opportunity they can.
God bless and all the best,
Dylan Rollins.
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