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January/February 2009 Issue 1 Field Reporter: Philippa Colebourne Writer: Cari Mottley Writer/Editor: Stefanie Rawlings Design/IT: Stefan Drexlmeier |
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Welcome to our first issue Our goal is to connect readers to a little school in Port St. John’s, South Africa, called Sisonke which is the native Xhosa word for “together”. Some of you have experienced that sisonke quality of togetherness personally, when you shared your invaluable time and energy with us at the school. |
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Many of you have experienced sisonke secondhand, and provided support and encouragement to those lucky enough to experience the “trenches” for themselves -- amongst the beautiful Pondo people of the Wild Coast. We thank you for your contributions, and hope that this newsletter enables you to continue to experience Sisonke. Though we be scattered to all corners of the globe, we endeavor to nurture the feeling of loving community after which our school is named. Please help us spread Sisonke, by forwarding and distributing our newsletter, and by contributing your own stories and suggestions to future articles.
Sisonke School History In 2006, a small group of local and international volunteers began organizing activities for children in Port St John’s, South Africa, under the name Amapondo Children’s Project (ACP). Among them was Pippa Colebourne, a trained Steiner Waldorf Teacher from England. It had always been a dream of Pippa’s to set up a school, and through her experiences in developing programs with the ACP, she recognized that she had found the time and place to realize that dream. Supported by the ACP, Luke Boshier, and a team of volunteers as varied as the South African nation itself, Pippa started training five local people as teachers. Much of their training incorporated elements of Steiner Educational Philosophy. |
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Pippa says of the experience: “These people had no previous experience of philosophy, had never taught, and never believed teaching in this way was a possibility. My belief in what we were doing was reinforced when I said to this group of people that together, sisonke, we would make a school with a difference, a school full of life and a school where laughter and learning happened every day. The joy that lit up their eyes that day and the smiles on their faces when I told them this was possible, carries me through the difficult situations we face on a daily basis.” |
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2008 Year in Review & Hopes for 2009 The school opened in January 2008, and during this first year, our school has come far indeed. We are still at the very beginnings of a long journey, but our overall focus for the year has been fulfilled. We have eight dedicated staff members who work well together as a team, we have bright, happy children who engage, co-operate and learn without fear, and we have strong parental involvement from about half of our parents. We are particularly proud of Teacher Lumka, and Teacher Tembelani, who have grown in skill and confidence in their first year, and now have their own classes. |
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We continue to focus on bringing learning to life through music, poetry, rhythm, movement, and practical activities. The Xhosa culture is strongly honored at the school, and teachers are encouraged to share traditional stories and songs, incorporating drumming and dancing on a daily basis. We teach our students in English but also recognize the importance of the preservation and development of their mother tongue, and so include Xhosa lessons everyday. Prince, a local craftsman conducts classes in folk art three times a week, and sustainable gardening, handwork, and sports are all important parts of our curriculum. One of our proudest achievements has been the implementation of the region’s only sliding scale fee policy. |
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This policy means that no child is refused entry to the school on a monetary basis. We meet with all parents individually to discuss a monthly amount that they can afford, and parents are given the opportunity to contribute to the school energetically, by teaching a craft, cleaning, etc. Parents of Sisonke students have expressed amazement at the difference in their children, and in the progress that they have made during the past year. They say that Sisonke children stand out from the rest, and report being asked by other parents on the street about which school their child attends. New enrollment for 2009 underscored the positive impact that the school is making in the community, and our waiting list was well beyond our enrollment capacity. It is heartbreaking to have to turn away so many families because of our limited resources. As those of you who have visited Port St John’s know, we have a very small space for our school and our playground is a driveway. Only half of our students meet in actual classrooms. The other half are divided between makeshift classrooms, one in a garage and one on the veranda of Pippa’s house, right next door. We are in desperate need of a more spacious, safe, and natural home for our school. We dare to dream that with your help, such a place might be found and funded in 2009. |
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Class on the Veranda |
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Education in South Africa By Cari Mottley
In order to better understand how important the work that the teachers and volunteers at Sisonke School are doing, let’s get a context for the education system in South Africa. Education is compulsory only through grade 9 for all South Africans from age 7 (grade 1) to age 15, enacted by the South African Schools Act of 1996. The Department of Education oversees national policy and is largely responsible for higher learning while each of the nine provinces has their own Education Department and is responsible for administrative policy. Individual schools also have power at a community level by elected officials. |
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Most public schools receive state aid and parents are involved in contributing school fees as with private schools. South Africa spends a large portion in Education but is up against a 40 year history of apartheid, when white South Africans received free education and black South Africans received limited educational training. While more metropolitan areas are experiencing increased success, rural areas in Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal still fall behind in literacy and passing matric rates. For 2008, the Minister of Education, Naledi Pandor has announced a national matric pass rate of 62.5%. Of that, 20.2 percent of the students are eligible to continue on to university. Passing requirements include a |
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For more Information see: |
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Sources: |
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minimum pass rate of 50% on at least 4 subjects and maximum of only 2 subjects below 50%. This statistic is up from 2007 when only 16% of students could continue on to university. But the Eastern Cape is still struggling. Last year it was the worst performing Province with a pass rate of 57%. This year 50.7% passed. Of the 60,297 students who did exams, 8,662 meet requirements for university which actually is a highlight as that number is up by 5% from last year. Minister of Education in Eastern Cape, Mahlubandile Qwase, reports the best-performing education districts as Grahamstown, Port Elizabeth and Graaff Reinet—still only between 67% and 70%. He says, "At this point it is crucial that we note the historical structural weaknesses that still prevail in our system that is invariably to the |
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detriment of our learners from formerly disadvantaged schools." Nationally, students did poorly in Agricultural Science. Qwase emphasizes that this subject is beneficial to students and the country and needs attention in the coming year. Looks like Sisonke School is on to something as they continue to involve the children in Nature and Gardening as part of their curriculum. |
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Volunteer Spotlight: Sonya Belke
Each month we’d like to acknowledge one of the wonderful volunteers that have blessed us with their presence at Sisonke School.
This month, we thank Sonya Belke, an elementary school teacher from Canada. Sonya did a lot of work with Teacher Lumka in building her confidence. Sonya spent most of her 6 weeks working with Lumka, observing her in a classroom setting, and then meeting with her one-to-one to discuss new techniques and approaches that Lumka could think about using in her classroom.
Sonya said:
"I was in Port St. John's for most of the month of November, and worked closely with Teacher Lumka in Sisonke's grade 1 & 2 classroom. I taught a few phonics lessons and also did some reading and art with the students. The English skill level varied quite a bit throughout the class, but the kids were well-behaved and eager to learn. While most of the students had at least basic conversational English skills, there was a definite need to focus on pre-reading strategies and activities.
The kids were amazing to work and play with, and they definitely made the whole experience worthwhile. They loved to learn new songs and dances, and of course they responded enthusiastically to games. Lumka was pleasant to work with, and committed to making lessons engaging for the students. She appreciated having help in the classroom and was open to sharing teaching ideas and suggestions from the volunteers.
I'm really grateful for my time at Sisonke and wish the school and the students continued success!"
Enkosi Kakulu Sonya!!!! |
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Waldorf 101
Sisonke School integrates ideas from Waldorf Education, a teaching strategy many of us have heard of, but few understand well. Each newsletter, we hope to explore an aspect of this style of learning, and see how Sisonke teachers and students are applying it to their experience. This month, we learn about where the |
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philosophy came from, and how it relates to Sisonke’s founding values. Waldorf Education is also commonly known Steiner Education, after its founder, Rudolf Steiner. Wikipedia describes it as a teaching philosophy that emphasizes the role of the imagination in learning, developing thinking that includes a creative as well as an analytic component. Studies of the education describe its overarching goal as providing young people the basis on which to develop into free, moral and integrated |
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individuals, and to help every child fulfill his or her unique destiny. The first Waldorf school was founded in 1919, in the chaotic circumstances of post-World War I Germany. There are now about 1000 independent Waldorf schools and 1400 independent Waldorf kindergartens located in approximately sixty countries throughout the world, making up one of the world's largest independent educational systems. There are also Waldorf-based public and Charter schools, homeschooling environments, and schools for special education. Waldorf methods have also been adopted by numerous educators teaching in other schools, both state and private.
Sisonke & Waldorf When Sisonke Teachers first began their teacher training, philosophy was something very new to them. Until relatively recently people from this part of the world were busy concerning themselves with survival and did not have the time for or luxury of pondering the deeper meaning of the universe. A Philosopical way of thinking is not something you can teach a person from the outside, it is something that develops from within with nurturing and guidance. The teachers have responded very well to the beginnings of their inner development and as the school continues to grow and develop, so do the teachers. Various different philosophies were explored during our training, but the teachers particularly enjoyed the ideas of Rudolf Steiner. Many of his suggestions are employed within the school, which is a big step from the way children are usually taught, particularly in South Africa. Our lessons are brought to life with music, dancing, singing and poetry. Stories are told to the children and beautiful, colourful drawings accompany their written work. Our curriculum includes handwork, permaculture gardening and crafts. Each teacher has taken on one of these areas and is developing and learning the skills for themselves in order to pass them onto the children. As we reflect back on our first year of Sisonke, the biggest achievement of last year was the love and care the children found with their teachers. Many of the children came to us full of fear and lacking enthusiasm. In just this short time this has already been turned around. Laughter rings out from our classrooms and the joy of learning together inspires us all. |
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You’re making a Difference
Each month, we would like to personally thank those individuals who have blessed us with gifts of support and encouragement. This month, we thank:
· Amy Wiggins, for her kind donation · Claire Morley, for sponsoring a Sisonke student · Janet Andrews, for giving Teacher Elizabeth the gift of clear vision · Kendra Lawrie, for helping us get two children sponsored · Merrie Jo and Trisha Carroll, for remembering us at Christmas · Glen Ah Sing, for sponsoring two students · Rainer Köck and Maria Neu, for organizing a poker tournament as a fundraiser · The congregation of Memorial Christian Church, for hosting a presentation, and donating kindly
Check out our website for more information on child sponsorship – the easiest way to make a BIG difference to Sisonke students. |
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Get involved!
A few of us have been exploring ways that we can give greater meaning to simple and fun activities, by combining them with raising awareness and funding for the school. Here are a few examples. |
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Stefanie Rawlings, California “One evening in December, my friend Domina and I sat chatting about Sisonke. We began to brainstorm ideas for a simple holiday themed fundraiser. That weekend, we hit the streets armed with nothing more than a few Christmas carols printed off the internet, and a jar labeled “Donations for Sisonke School South Africa”. We gave the jar to Domina’s adorable daughter to hold, and proceeded to thoroughly enjoy belting out tunes of Rudolph and Frosty at anyone who answered their doorbell. In under an hour, we had collected enough to pay a teacher’s salary for a month.” |
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Stefan Drexlmeier, Munich “A friend of mine organizes a private poker tournament every year shortly after Christmas. This year, I thought, we could as well raise some money for Sisonke. 40 people took part in the event and it was a huge success. We raised 260 Euros in total for the good cause. The reason for the success? I was able to stand in front of all the people and could tell them about my time at the school and that I know the people personally who will manage the money in Port St Johns. This made it all tangible for the people and they could trust me that the money they give will end up in the right hands. In the end we had a split pot between the Sisonke School Project and another friend’s school project in Tanzania.” |
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Christmas Caroling for Sisonke (USA, CA) |
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Valentine’s Day fundraiser suggestion This week, as encouragement for YOU to try your hand at a bit of Valentine themed fundraising, we’ve attached some tags that can be cut out, folded, and attached to just about anything. Tie it on with ribbon to a bag of chocolates, a flower, or a yummy cupcake you and a friend baked together. Sell them for a dollar/pound/euro or two at work, school, church, etc. Remember that $50 pays a teacher’s salary for a month, or a quarter of the rent on the school building. Everything you raise helps!
Please share your fundraising ideas, stories and photos with us, and we’ll include them in the next issue. |