Today we experienced the Ignite aspect of the Changemaker framework as we attended and presented at the Changemaker Symposium. This event was graciously hosted by Wits University in Johannesburg. As each of the six groups presented, I was continually in awe of how cohesive the groups were despite coming from such diverse backgrounds and only meeting in person the previous day. It was amazing to hear so many practical solutions from diverse perspectives. Common solutions included teacher collaboration, empathy and connection, and student centered learning. After listening to the keynote speakers and engaging in discussion with the presenters, everyone in attendance created their own personal Changemaker Pledge that detailed what they would be taking back to their communities in order to create positive change. The day was packed with so many incredible and passionate educators who were open in sharing knowledge and experiences.
For me, it was even more inspiring to hear the conversations after the event. Educators from South Africa and USD were so eager to continue their conversations and keep in touch via email. I was able to make new friends and found an incredible South African support system. I really look forward to having the help of these amazing educators as I continue my teaching journey!
1 Comment
Today was incredibly exciting as we finally got to meet up with our Changemaker group in person and have a powerful discussion. Our group found that although we come from different parts of the world and have incredibly varying experiences, our shared similarities created a strong sense of unity in our endeavor to create change in our communities.
After identifying common challenges, such as behavior management and lack of resources, we worked to build empathy for our students. We discussed the implications of students experiencing a lack of power and voice in the classroom. By actively providing students with the means to develop their own authentic voice, student empowerment increases. We found incredible strength in the fact that we are all passionate about creating lasting change through a positive school culture. I was fortunate enough to have the amazing principal of Thaba Jabula Secondary School in my group, Kenneth. He was incredibly wise and passionate and I was inspired by his sentiment: “It does not end with us. It starts with us”. As a group, we collaborated to create solutions that we could bring back to our respective schools and classrooms. We came up with so many ideas it was almost overwhelming! Solutions included:
I was so pleased with our group’s discussion and I wish we could have talked for even longer than the two hours we chatted away. It was so inspiring to be surrounded by like-minded educators who were passionate that when empathy and classroom community is strong, both student learning and well being is enhanced. We started our first full day in South Africa by going on a bike tour in Soweto, a township just outside of Johannesburg. Soweto stands for South Western Township, a name that was given during apartheid when black South Africans were forced to move out of the city into townships. We had amazing guides who began by starting a dance circle (at 9 in the morning), taught us the history of Soweto, shared stories about growing up there, and helped us practice some common phrases in Zulu. It was interesting to see the large disparities amongst the types of housing up close. As we biked through the streets, we passed entire blocks of beautiful government-funded apartment buildings that were just for show: they have remained completely empty since they were built a few years ago as most people in the community cannot afford the rent due to high unemployment rates. Right across the street were rows of informal settlements made of tin with dirt floors. The sense of community in Soweto was incredible, with most people responding with a friendly “yebo!” as we biked by. We stopped a few amazing historical sites including Nelson Mandela’s house and the beautiful Hector Peterson memorial. Our guides were so kind and made biking through the uneven streets fun! It was an incredible start to our first full day in South Africa.
Our first stop in Johannesburg was the incredibly moving Apartheid Museum. Even better, we got to experience it with many of the South African educators that we have been corresponding with for months! Being able to go through the museum alongside South African educators while having honest and in depth discussions about their country's history, their own personal experiences, as well as similar struggles of the US, was so eye-opening. It was truly a one of a kind experience and I really wish I could have spent the entire day there reading all of the stories and unpacking the heaviness of it all with my new South African friends.
One of the most emotional aspects of the museum was the special exhibit on Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. The exhibit powerfully profiled Winnie's life and her contributions to South Africa. After watching the movie Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, I was aware of Winnie's shortcomings and a section of the exhibit addressed this, saying: "Others have chosen to focus on her mistakes and her flaws, ignoring Winnie's enormous contribution to the struggle and her iconic status as the mother of the nation. We should remember Winnie in her entirety, for she has shown us what it is to be human. In the words of Professor Njabulo Ndebele: "From the witness of her life, we knew we could stand tall; we knew also we could falter and stumble. Either condition was an affirmation of life." " I found this sentiment to be profoundly moving and applicable to my life, as well as the lives of my students! Both faltering and standing tall are affirmations of life. I was so inspired by Winnie's beautiful way of approaching life in it's entirety with courage. Many of my group-mates, including me, spent a lot of time in reflection standing in that candlelit exhibit with tears in our eyes and goosebumps on our arms. Another striking section of the Apartheid Museum was a historical article about Dr. Henkrik F. Verwoerd called Education for Servitude, which detailed the former Prime Minister's 1953 assertion that "when I have control of native education I will reform it so that natives will be taught from childhood to realize that equality with Europeans is not for them ... There is no place for him in the European community above the level of certain forms of labor". This both baffled me but also strongly brought Systems Theory to my mind. As I had discussed with my South African email group, the educational issues we face today are directly created by, and cannot be separated from, the structures and ideologies of the past. Diverse students in the US and around the world continue to experience hardship as they navigate educational systems that were not designed for their success. Systems Theory is incredibly essential to my perception of education because I believe that understanding the historical contexts in which our education systems were created is essential in order to fully understand the gaps in achievement and expectation that continue to persist among diverse students. After spending many hours on planes and taking naps on airport benches, we have finally made it to South Africa!! Paige and I began our journey with a short flight from San Diego to LAX, whereupon we had to walk what felt like a mile before getting to the international departure terminal. Thankfully, the flight attendants were kind enough to let us pre-board the extremely packed flight so that we could find a seat right next to each other! After a ten hour flight spent surrounded by adorable (and very quiet) German babies, it was time for our layover in Frankfurt. Somehow, we were able to take a nice nap on the benches, locate beautiful and clean showers in the Frankfurt Airport, and even treat ourselves to a delicious pizza at an Italian restaurant!
(Paige pictured below in full bliss mode) We got onto our flight with clean hair and full bellies, ready for our African adventure. After 40 hours of being on planes or in an airport, we landed in Johannesburg early Thursday morning and went directly to the beautiful hillside house! It was so great to be reunited with our amazing group. Overall, it was a long but exciting journey filled with lots of laughs, excitement, and good food. As the trip comes closer and closer, I am overwhelmed and beyond excited for all the amazing experiences that are yet to come! This week we discussed a wide variety of concepts, the first being trauma-informed teaching. I believe that the implementation of trauma informed care is essential in the classroom. Details like predictability, structure, and connection can make a world of difference for a student who has experienced trauma. Additionally, explicit instruction on Social Emotional Learning can be extremely empowering for all students, especially those who have experienced trauma.
We also explored the ways in which we can demonstrate humility, empathy, and integrity as we work with the South African educators, students, and families. By approaching this experience with the mindset that we all have so much to learn from each other, we are not only going to grow as a respectful community but also increase opportunities for future learning and collaboration! Another topic that we discussed was barriers to learning, whether it be racial, language, gender, or cultural barriers. One barrier in particular that I focused on was racial barriers to learning. As usual, I loved reading Beverly Tatum's novel, Can We Talk about Race?: And Other Conversations in an Era of School Resegregation, as she explored the concept of the "’White ally’: namely, a white person who understands that it is possible to use one’s privilege to create more equitable systems; that there are white people throughout history who have done exactly that; and that one can align oneself with that history. That is the identity story that we have to reflect to White children, and help them see themselves in it in order to continue the racial progress in our society” (p. 37). I enjoyed reading about Tatum's perspective and I am curious to hear the South African educators' perspective on this concept. Additionally, I believe that this is a powerful idea because by creating a classroom culture in which students are free to openly and explicitly discuss problems of the past, students are more prepared to understand and address the inequalities of the present. |