Zenzile – 20 August 2014

Departure from the farm outside Cathcart was before 06:30 as we had a long way to go and were planning to be there for the start of the school day. Light rain was falling which put a dampener on our plans to hold an open air session as there was no electricity at the school.

I am always impressed with the view of the Kei valley as we approached Zenzile. The scenery makes the bad roads worthwhile. I was able to point out the different schools to the students as we drove along recalling different experiences at each location.

We made it in time to see the learners congregating in neat rows demarcated by small stones for assembly. The learners were ranked from Grade 1 to Grade 7 with the smallest in the front and the tallest at the back. As they assembled they spontaneously burst into song which grew louder as more learners arrived. What an experience to witness these learners sharing in the joys of life.

We were shown into the Grade 1 classroom which was the largest venue. What struck me was the absence of any light fittings. Approximately 150 learners shuffled in and took their places on benches making the room rather full to say the least. An additional seven staff joined in the session as well which was encouraging to see. Once again they were so engrossed in the demonstration that they put their hands up to answer the questions or simply shouted out the answers. This raised the issue of the demonstrations having an impact on the teachers as well through exposure to the technology and different pedagogies.

Both Jade and Esme took a different component of the lesson and did exceptionally well in presenting their aspects of the demonstration. They had observed two previous sessions which included subtle changes in the manner in which the information was presented based on how the learners responded. I commended them for their efforts and was able to link all the different components as part of the conclusion of the lesson.