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.
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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. This week, we watched a documentary about the Willowbrook State School in New York during the 1970s. The documentary was incredibly tragic and disturbing at times; however, it was important to watch. I was encouraged that throughout the film, the narrative was one that demanded equity and respect for all children.
I also have loved reading Beverly Tatum’s novel Can we talk about race?: And other conversations in an era of school resegregation, specifically the essays on the resegregation of our schools and the affirmation of identity. Tatum (2007) points out that the American public is quick to celebrate and focus on the “symbolic importance” of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, but fails to acknowledge the Supreme Court decisions in the following decades that “collectively facilitated the return to public school segregation”(p. 12). This novel helped to deepen my understanding of how American schools became resegregated as well as cement my belief that education is inherently political! I have also been studying Inclusive Education in African Contexts: A Critical Reader. The reader addresses how South Africa approaches inclusive education in a broad context due to the discrimination and violation of human rights created by the Apartheid. In this way, South African school inclusion is not as focused upon students with specific physical disabilities; rather, Phasa, Mahlo, & Dei (2017) explain that it is focused on a collective aim to “promote human rights, redress past imbalances, and make education inclusive and accessible to the majority of the disenfranchised”(p. 40). One of my very first experiences in preparation for this trip was watching the film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom with my friend Paige, who is also going on the trip. We found the movie to be incredibly inspiring and very informative - I was glad to have a friend to reflect with afterwards! After viewing the movie, we were overwhelmed but hungry for more information about South Africa. The film powerfully showed how truly horrific and violent the Apartheid was. I knew that it was an extremely racist regime; however, I was not aware of the severity of the physical violence inflicted upon Black South Africans. I also learned a lot more about Nelson Mandela’s personal life. I had no idea that his wife was encouraging violence when Mandela was freed from prison and how that created a great deal of tension. I also was shocked and heartbroken by the conditions in which Mandela was forced to live on Robben Island. I was aware that he was imprisoned for a very long time but I was unaware of just how abusive the prison was.
Another influential experience so far has been writing the Social Location Essay. In my writing, I reflected upon the complexities, experiences, and intersectionality that contribute to my system of reality. Throughout my experiences studying education in undergrad at UCSB and now in grad school, I have come to realize that authentically exploring one’s own system of reality is essential in order to understand and positively change the complex social dynamics in our educational systems. By understanding my own social location, I am able to acknowledge the opportunity I have to create positive change. I will continue to work to understand my own system of reality, as well as the social dynamics of our educational system, in hopes of enhancing my ability to identify and intervene around conflict and violence. The initial email exchanges with fellow educators from University of Witwatersrand, Jabulani School, Bapedi School, and Phillip Kushlick Special School in South Africa, as well as educators studying at Marymount University have been extremely interesting. I look forward to learning more about the individuals in my group and can't wait to meet them in person so soon! I am extremely excited to be embarking on an International Experience to South Africa as part of my Master's degree from USD. I chose this trip because I wanted to learn more about the Apartheid and diverse approaches that can be taken while confronting systemic racism. I hope to gain pedagogical knowledge and insight as we explore diverse perspectives and connect with other likeminded educators. I would like to learn more strategies for creating an inclusive classroom environment that promotes equity and authenticity and gain insight on bringing a global perspective to culturally diverse classrooms.
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