December was a very special month at Thembelihle, and not just because of the arrival of Christmas! Exams came and went, with plenty of long nights marking papers and writing reports. I am so proud of the children, in all that they have achieved during exam time. I share in their happiness too, it means I can’t be that terrible at my job! Although some children haven’t done as well as I had hoped, I have to remind myself that exam results are not always a true reflection of a person’s hard work, effort or the teaching they have received. Hopefully it will spur them on to try even harder in the new year!
Anyway with all of that seriousness over, it was time to get Christmassy! I must say that Christmas decorating in 35 degree heat was a strange experience! The children are so excited by Christmas, and you can’t help but get in the spirit as well. We have done a lot of Christmas crafts, making decorations, stockings and cards. The children really enjoy craft activities, maybe just because it means they can make a lot of mess! We also did some baking of Christmas cookies which of course, was loved by all! Especially when it came round to the tasting part! The reality of summer in South Africa is a lot of unbearable heat, a lot of storms, a lot of cockroaches and a lot of mosquitoes! But we had fun with the kids in a spontaneous water fight to cool off!
Thembelihle attended a party for street children at the town hall, where the children performed some traditional dancing to entertain the guests. The party was a success and raised awareness of the problem of children living on the streets. I found it quite inspiring how so many people came to show their support, and even children’s homes found something to contribute to the event.
Sadly, this time of year means we had to say goodbye to over half of our children. Thembelihle is a temporary home of safety, so at the end of the year many children are sent back home to their families, other carers, or moved into permanent children’s homes. It is impossibly hard to say goodbye, after living and working with these children for 4 months. But you have to be strong for them and trust that the social workers have made the right decision. Also many children went on ‘holiday’ over the Christmas period, which is where they go home to their families for a couple of weeks before coming back to Thembelihle. This is an amazing opportunity, and it’s all down to the hard work of the social workers that make it happen for them. However, it is hard for those children who are left behind. For Christmas day we only had six of the original children! We also had three new arrivals.
So with teaching on pause, and a lot less children to look after, we had a lot more time on our hands to make some changes to the classroom. The books in the classroom were an absolute mess, there are a lot of them but they were never used because they are not accessible in the room and they were not organised. This meant that most of the books had gone into disrepair. So we spent around three days clearing shelves, and creating a whole new library of books that children, staff and volunteers can use – hopefully for years to come! Now one copy of every textbook is on a shelf, sorted by subject and grade. All of the extra textbooks are also now stored in order too, so that if we need to use them in a lesson we know exactly where every textbook is kept. We also created a library of reading books sorted by ability, so that the children will be encouraged to read more often.
We were kept busy organising everything ready for Christmas. It was our responsibility to organise something special for the children. We decided to buy things for a braii and also rent a bouncy castle! We also organised their gifts. Every child is given a new set of clothes and shoes to wear to the church service on Christmas Day. It was quite exciting, and it was all a secret! Christmas day itself was a success! I can’t remember ever being this excited about Christmas! We woke up early and I dressed up as Santa and brought them presents, which were also a success! (apart from the odd clothes trauma!) They all looked very smart for church. After the service we all came back to Thembelihle and played on the bouncy castle and made a braii (with some help from our next door neighbour!) I enjoyed every moment, and know it might have been the most unique Christmas I will ever have!
On the 27th December we left Thembelihle embarking on our travels for a couple of weeks. It was a fantastic opportunity to see all that South Africa has to offer, and also to meet up with other Project Trust volunteers in South Africa, Swaziland and Botswana. We spent New Year in Cape Town, then travelled to Mossel Bay, Plettenburg Bay, Storms River and Jeffrey’s Bay. We had a great holiday, but I did miss the children and Mthatha, so I am glad to be home and settling back into teaching.
A new year has definitely turned over a new leaf in the classroom. We have introduced a new reward system and new school rules. Also thanks to our organisation at the end of 2011 we now have a very organised, clean and tidy classroom – at least for a little while! The children’s behaviour in class has improved an extraordinary amount and my confidence as a teacher has grown. I am so happy! I can tell that 2012 is going to be a good year!
