I believe there are so many pieces of information from my education that I can share with Thandokhulu and its students and teachers. English is the language of instruction even though most students' first spoken language is Xhosa. Their English writing is not as good as their speaking, but I am finding that this is mostly because they have never been taught how to structure essays. A guest teacher from UCT barely mentioned the idea of an essay outline, rather than the "mind maps" or thought webs that all of the students are so accustomed to. Upon realizing that students had never heard of this pre-writing tool that I had found so useful and effective when I was a student myself, I drew up a worksheet/information guide about how to write a persuasive expository essay. These ideas were new for the teachers too, so I'm hoping that I can explain that they can use pre-writing techniques like this not only for homework, but also for their standardized tests, specifically the all-important Matric exam.
Passing the challenging series of examinations called the Matric is required in order to apply to college in South Africa. The exam is only offered in English and Afrikaans, but there are 11 official languages spoken in South Africa, and many more unofficial languages. Students who are not native Afrikaans or English speakers are at a dramatic disadvantage when taking the Matric, which is still reminiscent of the Bantu Education Act of 1953 under apartheid. Even though apartheid has ended, white schools are still funded with an average of seven times more money than predominantly black schools in South Africa, which translates into white students passing the Matric at a rate of 95% and black students passing at a rate of 61%. The pressure that these kids put on themselves to do well on the exam is enormous. Some South African students serve the function of parents for their younger siblings because they were orphans, and still study every single free moment they have. The students who pass get their names printed in the local newspaper for all to see, and there is so much pressure from everyone for them to do well that it takes up all of their free mental and emotional energy. Some students who pass are obviously incredibly happy, but this happiness can be short lived. In the documentary "Testing Hope" about the Matric exam, the two very best students in a predominantly black school went to University of Cape Town to see what they had to do in order to apply for higher education at university. They found out that some of the courses that were required to even apply to the college were at a higher grade level than was even offered in the school they could attend and afford. Despite all of their hard work, dedication, and infinitely impressive talents and intelligence, they still could not pursue higher learning to get a socially mobilizing career because their only options for schooling were underfunded and under-resourced. One of the young men that the documentary followed was shot and killed because of random gang violence a very short period of time after he passed the Matric exam. One female student remarked, “I feel like there is not any hope for us disadvanted kids from schools like this.” South Africa has come so far and strives to achieve their motto of “Unity in Diversity,” but still has so much further to go. I hope that I can make a tiny ripple of a difference in this vicious cycle.
One student made an appointment with me to discuss one of her essays before she handed it into the teacher I am observing. I was excited to try to give her a very comprehensive understanding of what she could do to improve not only this specific essay, but also her writing in general. We went over the whole thing and talked about why specific changes and additions would make the essay better, as well as how those changes can apply to all of her writing (including the Matric exam). I felt guilty, ignorant, and ashamed of myself that I didn't expect her to be so smart just because I was basing my expectations off of her writing along (see Mackenzie's post about expectations!). It made me nervous, motivated, and outraged that such a brilliant girl was more than capable of being a wonderful writer, but no one had ever taught her exactly how to do it. Almost all of the information I was teaching her was brand-new to her, but she absorbed it all more like a "shamwow" than a sponge (see infomercial for better understanding.... very absorbent)! I am so excited to get to know students like this one and share anything I know with them. The students here are teaching me just as much as I'm teaching them; they explain what the Xhosa words in the stories mean, and we all laugh when I try to pronounce them. They are so smart, friendly, motivated, intellectually curious, and excited about learning, so they are always find new ways to challenge me. They are helping me become a better teacher and person every day.
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