First Day of School...well...kind of

I woke this morning READY to teach, but that doesn't mean that my stomach wasn't in knots.  "Today will go ok," I kept repeating to myself; that phrase shaped my day.

We are mastering Dr. Cornish time; we arrived at the house 5 minutes late and had enough time to collect our things. Dr. Cornish (Ms. Frizzle), loaded us onto the magic school bus and yelled "seat belts everyone!" as we sat, anxiously, awaiting our first day as REAL, LIVE South African teachers.
When I heard the gears spinning in the car, I thought it was the nerves upsetting my stomach.
"I have no power" Ms. Frizzle said. Were we talking philosophy now? Power from where?
"phrrroooooooooooooo" the car went. Downhill, we went. "I can't shift!" Ms. Frizzle said, "we can't teach!" we yelled!
Luckily, we realized that the gears were not engaging BEFORE we traveled the 30 minutes to Kenton On Sea (the rural school) and were able to make it back to Grahmstown (downhill, thank the Lord). 
We waited in the car while Dr. Cornish called the car rental company--the highlight of that phone conversation was when we heard her say, "I am well, but my car is not".
Also luckily, our friends at Samuel Ntsiko (the township school) allowed us into their classroom, where we were able to help, observe, and enjoy the students. We will be back their tomorrow, as it takes 24 hours for a new rental car to arrive (some things don't change).


More tomorrow! Hey Dayna! I listen to Taylor Swift here and think of you (I'm going round and round, but I belong with you!).
-Bianca

First Day of School!

 We've decided to make the blog alternate teaching pairs, so today's blog is provided by Laura and Jenna Way.

Rick also thought it important to show everyone our lesson plan for today...so here it goes!

Essential Question: What makes a good story?

Objective: Learners will be able to identify the WWW How=2 What=2 at least 50% of the time, given that the teachers provide it in English and Xlosa.

Criteria for Success (Students):

Take Pretest. Make name tags. Present name tags. Read/Learn WWW How=2 What=2. Read Albert the fish. Go over WWW How=2 What=2 with Albert. Listen while we read aloud.

Criteria for success (Teachers):

Warm-up with introduction and Q&A. Give summary of the next 2 weeks. Model WWW How=2 What=2. Motivate with reading the story out loud.

Assessment:

Pre:  Pre-test

Formative: Questioning during direct instruction.

Summative: Exit ticket of WWW How=2 What=2

Closure: Exit ticket. "Think about the WWW How=2 What=2 as we read along with the story." Read the Magic Horns out loud.

Reflecting on today I think we are generally excited about what happened in the classroom. We did not actually get through the whole entire lesson, but we feel great about what we did get through. There was a clear enthusiasm from our students and our teacher. We started the day off with name, introductions, and what they call in isixhosa "jiva" (or dance for you Americans). We loved how they danced this morning and they generally captivated by the foreigners who just barged into their classroom demanding they dance with us.
There was a clear language barrier in the classroom which we saw not only in the pre-test but just in giving general instructions to the class. There had to be a lot of modeling to get them to understand as well as the regular classroom teacher working as our translator.
We used Albert the Fish to model the WWW How=2 What=2 (which is a strategy we are using to teach stories) and this was honestly the highlight of our day. Educators here call their students learners, meaning a very active role in the classroom and this is where it was exhibited most. We also didn't mind that they all burst into song and dance before we left (including the lunch ladies!!) It was a great end to the day and I think it is safe to say we both felt really appreciated and welcomed into our new home for the next 2 weeks (or 2 years if we have our way... PAY FOR US GOUCHER!!!)

Just hours after leaving Samuel Ntsiko, we feel more than anticipation, but a physical excitement for the next coming days. Who knew one could feel so welcome into a community after just a few hours? Obviously, not us... until now. That's all we have to say for now. Can't wait to tell you more!!!!!
 Enjoy the pictures!

PS! Holly, Vito, Tay & Soph! HEY I'M IN AFRICA! Everything is great and I can't wait to have my own classroom! LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE & Hot sauce! (Jenna)

For Laura's blog readers...127 days!!!

In the classroom! Laura wasn't upset, she was just super impressed!

First day of school pic! Here you go mom and dad!

Gettin' It

After thinking and talking about all we had to do to be ready for school, we decided that we needed a day to collect supplies and plan out all of our ideas. We went as a group to a VERY tiny supplies store and pretty much bought it out, with 210 folders, pencils, and other supplies for our students! A few of us also went and bought soccer and rugby balls, because we had seen students at Kenton playing soccer outside with just a very battered tennis ball. We had lunch at one of La Jerne's favorite restaurants in town, an Italian place. The pizza was GREAT and it was funny to hear American radio being played at an Italian restaurant in South Africa - how crazy! After lunch, about half of us went and explored Grahamstown, and checked out a few bookstores and a church. The town is incredible--it feels like you're stepping back in time and, personally, I was surprised to see how accessible the streets and buildings are. After a few hours in town, we worked on compiling all of our materials for school Monday, including folders for each of our students with all of the photocopied stories. Dinner was AWESOME spaghetti with meat sauce and garlic bread, and we all hung out as a group afterwards and had a fun night in. I cannot wait to get back to Samuel Ntsiko on Monday and start teaching. We've got a lot of planning to do before then, but I get excited just writing about it!

(written by Carlyn, not Laura...hi Mom! Hi Dad! Hi Bster! I'm alive!)

We're here!

We did all finally make it safely to South Africa and I think it is safe to say that we are all having a wonderful time. The first day was spent just gettnig ourselves together (and recovering from a 16 hour plane ride). We went into town to pick up the essentials and stop at our new hangout spot...a cafe in the town.

Today we took a trip to both schools. We piled in the van and the car to head to the first school which is in Grahmstown. Here we were welcomed buy some of the faculty. We toured the school and were given some tea before heading for the road.

The next stop was the school that is in Kenton. It is about 45 minutes away from where we are staying. The students there were so wonderful. They put on a whole welcoming show for us. We got to see some singing and dancing, of which I am sure there are multiple videos!

It is so good to see how excited everyone is. Of course the whole group is overwhelmed with being here and cannot wait to start teaching tomorrow, but the energy that comes from the schools is amazing to see. The students and faculty have a spirit that is unmatched. They are super excited to start learning. And honestly, seeing LaJerne here is almost more exciting than anything else. She is really a super star here!

I think that is all for now! Just know everyone is here, safe, and doing wonderfully. School starts tomorrow!

It's almost time to go!

I hope that I can speak for the whole class when I say it feels like Monday is so far away and so close all at the same time! The bus leaves on Monday and I think we are all excited for the trip to start. After talking about this trip all semester in our pre-South Africa class I hope it is safe to say that we are feeling slightly prepared for the whole experience.

But...we have to finish packing before we can lift off! You'll here from us when we land. Ta-ta-for-now :)