Christel House South Africa is a school for children from townships such as Manenberg, Langa, Hanover Park, and Delft. It is an independent school, and the students pay nothing to go there. The students receive two full meals and snacks at school, which is sometimes the only food that they get all day. Christel House is an international organization with schools in Venezuela, Mexico, India, South Africa, and Indianapolis, Indiana. The South Africa school opened in 2002 with grades one through five. It now has students in grades one through eleven, and will have it's first graduating class next year. Because they have grown so quickly, they now have two different locations, one for grades one through six and the other for grades seven through eleven. They have recently started building a new facility that will be able to accommodate their learners.
As an intern, I have been assisting the teachers in their classrooms. I have mostly been working with grade one learners. Coming into Christel House, about half of the grade one learners do not speak English; they speak only Xhosa. Therefore, there is a teacher's aide in the classroom that translates for the students. There are about thirty students in each class and two classes per grade. Coming from a U.S. perspective, thirty students seems like a lot for one class, but compared to class sizes of 50 or 60 in the public schools in the townships, thirty is quite reasonable.
One of the most rewarding experiences for me has been seeing the Xhosa speaking children gradually learn English. It is amazing how fast they learn and how excited they are when they are able to make sentences and communicate with their teacher without using a translator. By far, my favorite part of the day is "interval" (recess) when all of the student get to go outside and play. As soon as I walk out of the classroom, I am swarmed by students who want to hold my hand and hug me. They also LOVE to play with my hair, which can get kind of overwhelming having 5 or 6 children pulling my hair in every direction. I have had some very memorable moments, and the kids are absolutely adorable.
Here's just one of the many cute conversations I've had--
Me: "I should just pack you up in my suitcase and bring you back to America with me"
Lorenzo (grade 1): "My mommy says we are going to America."
Me: "Well, when you get there, you come knock on my door, okay?"
Lorenzo: "What number are you?"
I have thoroughly enjoyed my internship and recently was accepted into the school of education for elementary education. I am looking forward to bringing this perspective and experience with me as I start my education classes in the fall!
If you are interested in Christel House South Africa, there is a great video online at http://www.christelhouse.org/?section=locations&subsect=SouthAfrica
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