As I start my sixth week in Namibia, I think to myself that the first five have flown by. It will not be long before I am preparing to go home, but there is so much work to be done here and so little time to do it.
Monday was going to be an exciting day for me, as I was to be picked up and taken to Outapi, the educational regional head office for the Omusati area. At Outapi, I was to present four workshops to the special needs team, to see how they could be rolled-out to more schools in the region. I had organised a lift with the head of the SEN team, and I was to wait outside the Secondary School to be picked up. So I waited, and waited! After two hours I decided to wait no longer and headed back to my place. It seems that something had gone wrong with the transport organisation; which was not a surprise. There seems to be a lack of basic organisational skills here, which quite often leads to such problems. I am going to introduce the ‘Work Diary’ to Namibia, where people write down all the things they should be doing; I think it will revolutionise the education system here!
On Tuesday we got up after another night of rain to find the garden completely flooded again. To get out of the house we had to paddle first and then put our shoes on later, as the water had gone over the stepping-stones I had set up. I delivered a workshop to the Primary school in the afternoon, on how to use the ‘Cumulative Record Cards’, which all schools should use in Namibia. They are the database system for learners in schools and also the tracking of their achievements throughout their school careers. The concept is good, but nobody has told the schools how to use them! So I was asked to put a training package together, that could be used in any school. As this was the first workshop of this type I was a little nervous as to how it would go. I needn’t have worried, as it was very well received and staff were extremely grateful for the guidance.
Wednesday was a general work-day in the morning, and in the afternoon I had the final workshop on Special Needs with Mupewa Junior School. This also went extremely well, and the now staff all seem to understand that ‘chalk and talk’ does not include all learners in the classroom. The Principal was so pleased with the training that he had written a letter to the Director, asking if his school could offer the training to other schools. I agreed that this would be a sustainable way to continue this work and suggested I mentored them in the first couple of workshops.
Thursday was meeting with Principals and working on Development Plans, but Bonnie allowed me to lead on a couple of her Maths classes, which gave me an opportunity to model some of the differentiation work. I really enjoyed the teaching and the Learners responded to the different style extremely well.
On Friday I had agreed with Bonnie that I would teach her classes all morning as she was at UNAM, which is the Namibian University in Windhoek. However, it was a weekend where the Learners all go home. As there was severe flooding in the north of Namibia, we had special permission to let them go early. So I ended up teaching classes from 7.30 to 9.15 am, which was a much-shortened session. The Principal told me that the floods had already claimed forty lives in the area, and we had great concerns for the children walking home through the Oshanas (Shallow lakes). The rest of the day was working on management issues and finishing workshop presentations.
On Saturday I went to Ongwediva and did some shopping in the morning. In the afternoon a group of us went to ‘Pondo’, the special needs home and had a great time playing with the kids. I also met the ‘main man’ there and looked at some linking of Parkside School with Pondo. I think it would be great if we could do some work with them. That night I received a text from a colleague who had gone to Etosha wildlife area with some friends, and had broken down. It was decided that I should borrow a 4X4 and go and pick them up. So on Sunday I set off to drive 250 Kilometres to get them from Etosha. I got there at 10.30 in the morning, and there seemed no alternative but to tow them back to Ohsakati. Which is what I did, going very steadily for all 250 Kilometres, towing another 4X4. I was exhausted by the time I got back!!!
The pictures this week are: A group of infant Learners at Mupewa; please note the woolly hats in temperatures of 35 degrees. My house after a night of rain, and the refection of a sunset off my flooded garden. Last but by no-means least, my new girlfriend at Pondo Special Home.
Best wishes.
Monday was going to be an exciting day for me, as I was to be picked up and taken to Outapi, the educational regional head office for the Omusati area. At Outapi, I was to present four workshops to the special needs team, to see how they could be rolled-out to more schools in the region. I had organised a lift with the head of the SEN team, and I was to wait outside the Secondary School to be picked up. So I waited, and waited! After two hours I decided to wait no longer and headed back to my place. It seems that something had gone wrong with the transport organisation; which was not a surprise. There seems to be a lack of basic organisational skills here, which quite often leads to such problems. I am going to introduce the ‘Work Diary’ to Namibia, where people write down all the things they should be doing; I think it will revolutionise the education system here!
On Tuesday we got up after another night of rain to find the garden completely flooded again. To get out of the house we had to paddle first and then put our shoes on later, as the water had gone over the stepping-stones I had set up. I delivered a workshop to the Primary school in the afternoon, on how to use the ‘Cumulative Record Cards’, which all schools should use in Namibia. They are the database system for learners in schools and also the tracking of their achievements throughout their school careers. The concept is good, but nobody has told the schools how to use them! So I was asked to put a training package together, that could be used in any school. As this was the first workshop of this type I was a little nervous as to how it would go. I needn’t have worried, as it was very well received and staff were extremely grateful for the guidance.
Wednesday was a general work-day in the morning, and in the afternoon I had the final workshop on Special Needs with Mupewa Junior School. This also went extremely well, and the now staff all seem to understand that ‘chalk and talk’ does not include all learners in the classroom. The Principal was so pleased with the training that he had written a letter to the Director, asking if his school could offer the training to other schools. I agreed that this would be a sustainable way to continue this work and suggested I mentored them in the first couple of workshops.
Thursday was meeting with Principals and working on Development Plans, but Bonnie allowed me to lead on a couple of her Maths classes, which gave me an opportunity to model some of the differentiation work. I really enjoyed the teaching and the Learners responded to the different style extremely well.
On Friday I had agreed with Bonnie that I would teach her classes all morning as she was at UNAM, which is the Namibian University in Windhoek. However, it was a weekend where the Learners all go home. As there was severe flooding in the north of Namibia, we had special permission to let them go early. So I ended up teaching classes from 7.30 to 9.15 am, which was a much-shortened session. The Principal told me that the floods had already claimed forty lives in the area, and we had great concerns for the children walking home through the Oshanas (Shallow lakes). The rest of the day was working on management issues and finishing workshop presentations.
On Saturday I went to Ongwediva and did some shopping in the morning. In the afternoon a group of us went to ‘Pondo’, the special needs home and had a great time playing with the kids. I also met the ‘main man’ there and looked at some linking of Parkside School with Pondo. I think it would be great if we could do some work with them. That night I received a text from a colleague who had gone to Etosha wildlife area with some friends, and had broken down. It was decided that I should borrow a 4X4 and go and pick them up. So on Sunday I set off to drive 250 Kilometres to get them from Etosha. I got there at 10.30 in the morning, and there seemed no alternative but to tow them back to Ohsakati. Which is what I did, going very steadily for all 250 Kilometres, towing another 4X4. I was exhausted by the time I got back!!!
The pictures this week are: A group of infant Learners at Mupewa; please note the woolly hats in temperatures of 35 degrees. My house after a night of rain, and the refection of a sunset off my flooded garden. Last but by no-means least, my new girlfriend at Pondo Special Home.
Best wishes.
Barry
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