Talking bout the revolution

Teaching in the Trenches

    Each morning as I drive down to St. Leo’s Primary School, I listen to calming music and mentally prepare myself for the inevitable chaos that will greet me upon my arrival. When I arrive, I am ready for battle. Armed with pencils, paper, books, and most importantly – patience, I weave my way through a sea of kids and make my way to the classroom. When my first class begins, the students are overflowing with energy and enthusiasm. I try to harness this energy and use it to help them learn something. The students are constantly trying to push my buttons while I try to push them to learn English.

    From the beginning, volunteering as an oral English teacher at St. Leo’s has been a struggle for me. Coming into the year, I had little teaching experience and didn’t know what to expect from a school in rural South Africa. However, I have come to realize that my battle to maintain order in the classroom is insignificant in comparison to the struggles that my students have been fighting against all their lives. My students struggle to get enough food to nourish their bodies; they fight against racism and discrimination which are still ever-present in aspects of South African society, and they battle to survive the onslaught of AIDS as it continues to destroy their communities.

    Unfortunately, it seems that we are constantly fighting an uphill battle. At St. Leo’s the students are crammed into overcrowded classrooms and the work ethic of the teachers is appalling. Generally, the students are way behind where they should be and they score extremely low on national standardized tests. As a whole, the South African educational system is failing them.

    The situation is dire, but my students are extraordinary. They are forced to overcome so many obstacles in their lives, constantly facing trails and tribulations that no one should have to bear. And yet, each day they come to class excited to learn and hopeful for a better future.

    For a long time, I have been pessimistic about St. Leo’s state of disarray and find myself losing hope. However, I have come to appreciate the victories in my classroom. I am optimistic these small steps forward will gain momentum and eventually they will receive the quality education that these kids so very much deserve. In the meantime, the students and I will fight together for their futures.

Starfish Thrower

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”

The young man paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean.”

“I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, “But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can’t possibly make a difference!”

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, “I made a difference to that one!”

Loren Eiseley