The week before this one was the last week of Term 1 for the public schools, meaning they had this entire week after off, so my time spent at Cypress Primary felt an awful lot like the last week of school before summer break in the States… i.e., very little academics were accomplished, haha. You could almost smell the discarded crayons melting in the sun. Each day held a new and different activity and an air of anxious prep and celebration. I spent almost all of that Monday helping count thousands upon thousands of Rand coins brought in by the students in tiny plastic bags, as their largest fundraiser of the term (and perhaps the year) was to be held on Tuesday. Fundraising is imperative at Cypress (and indeed many South African schools, not unlike in the States) as the government only gives them a small amount of money in order to pay its overworked staff, among other things. Thus, money acquired from junk-food and holiday-fun-crap sales during the week are used to pay an entire Cypress teacher’s salary every month… and she already accepts a reduced salary at that.
This particular fundraiser and school-spirit builder is called “Big Walk,” wherein every student who brought in the required amount of cash (a whopping R250) would walk a humongous lap around the neighborhood with their class Tuesday morning… getting a little more exercise into their routine and demonstrating Cypress’ presence to the Athlone/Bridgetown neighborhood (an important point to make in a crime-ridden area). Picture a hap-hazard parade of small children in green and yellow, walking in pairs (sometimes) and chanting songs (my class) about love, kindness, and fish (their favorites). It was certainly a sight to see, full of the standard repeated stops for shoe-tying, piggy-back rides (in my case, as one student was always “much too tired to go on”), and the emergency pee-break. The walk itself was fun, but the whole thing was a little bit too much for me (too much what, I’m not quite sure, however, as I haven’t yet found an apt adjective). 250 Rand Bucks, as I like to call them, are kind of a big feat for many of these kids, meaning too many of them were excluded in the day’s festivities in some way. While many of the teachers bent the rules a bit, allowing students to walk as long as they brought in some money, however small, it didn’t change the fact that upon returning to the school, only children who had managed the full R250 were given a box of Kentucky Fried Chicken for lunch.
Yeah. I know what you’re thinking. First of all, yes, there are KFC’s in South Africa, and people think it’s legit delicious… and healthier for you than McDonald’s! And, yes, after a walk to promote exercise, among other things, they rewarded 5-13year-olds with a box of greasy fried chicken and French fries. That happened. But only for the ones who could shell out the “big [Rand] bucks.” Every other student had to sit at their desks and watch the rest of them eat it. SERIOUSLY? The kids who need food MOST are the ones who cannot afford Big Walk fundraiser. More than one of my kids cried that day, at any rate. How fun.
Anyway, after a short debate, Mrs. P and I decided that our first graders were kind and small enough that sharing our chicken and chips was entirely feasible, so everyone split and dried their tears. It was also Nikita’s 6th Birthday, so the fact that she brought in “party packs” for everyone (essentially a “goodie-bag” of sweets and plastic toys, and an obsession of all South Africa grade-schoolers, not unlike Dragon Ball Z) helped immensely in dissolving the gray cloud of chicken-induced-envy that had settled over Room 1B.
Wednesday I had the pleasure of doing something entirely different with the 5th and 6th graders, hopping on a bus and going on my first South African field trip. After a short ride to a Cape Town art school & gallery (or "the other side of the tracks"), students were broken up into groups and filed into art studios where they were taught various forms of art by different, engaging artists. It was amazing! As loud and disorganized as Tuesday had been, that’s how quiet and tame Wednesday became. Each student got so wrapped up in their artwork, utilizing materials they’d get at school only in their wildest dreams, they barely spoke to one another. They left that day with underwater watercolors, pastel radiating patterns, and humongous smiles, among other things. And then, of course, their bus broke down in the parking lot, so they were stuck there for a few more hours.
Thursday, meanwhile, was filled with an entirely different kind of art – marching band music! The principal of Cypress knows somebody who knows somebody, so suddenly the South African Army Marching Band, Cape Town division was setting up camp on the blacktop that morning. For a little over an hour, I was transported back to my middle-school-band days (how embarrassing) and the entire student body sang, clapped, and danced to rousing renditions of “When the Saints Go Marching In,” “Mama Mia,” “Waka Waka” and “Smooth Criminal”… no joke! Any chance I get to twirl one of students around or wildly march them up and down an aisle is a good one; even better when they start doing the moon walk or robot. These guys don’t get to act like kids with reckless abandon nearly enough. One of my students even answered a review question correctly and got to go up and play the tambourine with the percussion section – oh happy day!Friday, in comparison, was largely uneventful. No one wanted to do anything since it was the last day before break, and my students were largely rotten, so it was sort of a wash. In retrospect, I think needed it, as the week to come (the one I just finished) was an emotional and mental drain, albeit valuable in every way. More on this later, however, as I’m certain it needs more time to simmer.
In other news, my internship research is going swimmingly, although I'm not even close to finished (in my own mind). The library corner in my classroom was finished the week before last (and it's pretty beautiful -- I ooze with pride over it), so the students have been utilizing it in spades. I'm still trying to find time to visit other classrooms and finish organizing all the unused books and teacher manuals that are stuffed into the dark nooks and crannies of Cypress, but it's looking like one of those jobs that will never come to complete fruition (at least not during my stay).
After a week volunteering in another township, I return to Cypress School tomorrow with the understanding that I only have two more weeks there. Inconceivable! After that, I have one more week of volunteering elsewhere (since the school closes again for Easter/Freedom Day/Family Day/Any Excuse), and then one more week in Cape Town being a bum (living on peanut butter sandwiches and getting my kicks walking around the city aimlessly with empty pockets) before hopping on a jet-plane for the States. Woah. See you soon?
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