5.Parktown Girls 11-08

I arrived at Parktown Girls High to be met by Mrs Patel (HOD Science) only to discover that I could no lock my vehicle. There was evidence that both front locks had been tampered with and had to call the rental company to deliver a new vehicle. I arrived an hour early expecting to set up and be ready for 13:00 as agreed via email.

I found a venue on the hockey field in the sun which was big enough for the 250 girls sitting on the stands. It was a warm winter’s day and many girls restored to placing their jackets over their heads to shade themselves from the sun.

From my perceptions this group of girls were lively responding to all the challenges set before them and even coming up with some creative solutions. There is a definite cultural / group factor that inhibits many of the individuals from participating more actively in the presentation despite my best efforts to include them.

The issue of Mathematics Literacy was raised where it was explained that taking this subject would exclude the girls from entering key careers such as Medicine, Pharmacy, Engineering, Accounting, Lawyers, etc. I have encountered so many learners who have discovered too late that this subject will limit their career options and do feel that the matter needs to be raised at every opportunity. This does not imply that individuals will not go on to have successful careers in the future.

LEGO equipment was handed over after explaining to the procedures for the competition to the group at the completion of the demonstration.