Reflections of A Black Christian Woman

  Today was great and my feet are sore from today 😀. Above all else : Teaching is serving. And this means you'll sometimes miss out on moments because you've got to watch children play or take them to the bathroom. It takes everything. We had the Grade R Graduation and it was amazing. Seeing how amazing these kids were and how much they've grown. I'm yet to see Grade R learners like ours 😀. I'm a proud of my colleague and what God has been able through her. We often chat about our frustrations - some learners take longer to adjust, some do have learning difficulties and behavioural problems. And we alwayd want to help each child individually. So, seeing each child develop is amazing. The kids did speeches, verses, acted out a story, sang  and danced. We had a lovely guest speaker who spoke and encouraged both kids and parents. Most specially, she interceded for the kids, parents and the school. Oh man what a special lady. She also gave the graduates gifts and gave

 Exam time used to make me nervous. But it  no longer does.  They serve as a gauge to see whether my learners have understood the concepts they've learnt and they are a reflection of what I need to improve on. We do have revision week but it's mostly used to assess where my students lack. And checking whether they remember the correct method of answering. And I thank God for the progress my learners have made. These learners are quite vast - most of them come from a Non-Adventist background. Some parents drink and there's quite a lot. But I'm thankful that there's God to help us through various challenges. But there's so much positive progress. Out of the 23 learners, I can safely say only 6 struggle with spelling words well, reading fluently and being responsible.  Four out of the six do not show any parental involvement. When parents are addressed, they show no remorse or change.  But I've also seen that these six learners thrive when they receive individu

 I don't know how a learner fails Grade R unless there are serious learning difficulties or barriers such as language, social status or no care in the home. Then this very learner is condoned with no foundation at all 😭. This one couldn't count, colour, read, write or anything. I was hoping by this time she'd be independently working on her own. But alas! It's frustrating. As much as I try to give individual attention, I know she needs to repeat the class. She can't read, except for simple sight words. I don't know what assistance she's getting at home. I don't see any proof. Exam time are the hardest with her. She still needs individual attention. I've tried prayer, peer assistance, but nothing helps. I've also done individual assessments. I've seen a LOT of concerning behaviour. She cannot concentrate without always being told what to do. She lacks sense of responsibility. And that's what a learner has by June / September. But I'm