The School Corridor Tatler

The SGB Forum in the Retreat-Lavender Hill-Steenberg area is going to be a powerful community structure. Today the EXCO of the SGB forum had a development and training session on Interpersonal Skills and Communication and on Drafting their constitution. Team work  We were reminded again how important it is for leaders to have a high degree of self-awareness to enable them to become great relational people. Leaders need a high level of interpersonal skills and be aware that that they must first seek to understand others before they want to influence others. Gail and David giving feedback. See the well-constructed word pattern in the foreground! Our icebreaker word-building game helped the participants to see that collaborative work is far more rewarding because of the access to more brains, higher energy and better success. It was fascinating to see how the group moved from wanting to build their own individual words from a limited number of letter tiles to cons...

 Today was the day our education district, Metro South, launched its lunchtime talk series. We are super excited about the possibilities of this talk platform to energise our conversations in the district. The idea is to invite speakers from education, other industries and all walks of life to share their stories with us. Through the exchange of ideas, we want to share research, knowledge, advice and wisdom with real people who like us, are striving to live a purposeful life, especially in our country. A few of our colleagues relaxing just before the talk by Lorenzo Davids. Our first speaker was Lorenzo Davids, the CEO of Community Chest. Lorenzo's talk " A country imagined - challenges born of hope", oozed with authenticity. " Stories of who we are, are getting lost, " said Lorenzo. " Everybody must tell their stories so that we can build inclusive spaces.  Dialogue must lead to inclusivity. We need to build relationships, play by the ru...

I have decided to group the blog links for six posts that are dedicated to reading advocacy in our schools. 1.     A case for a national reading campaign In the post,   We need an ambitious national reading campaign beyond the classroom , I reference the Cuban literacy campaign that was driven by the government of the day.  I argue that we too, have the resources to promote and sustain a national reading campaign, if we are serious about lifting our children's performance. 2.     Reading Programmes at School should be supported by a sound school and classroom infrastructure. In   Six fundamental elements that should form the backbone of your school's reading strategy.   I suggest six elements that schools should consider when they embark on a whole-school reading strategy. These strategies are being implemented by schools where a good reading culture is established. 3.  World Book Day is celebrated by schools. World...

Teaching children to read fluently and with comprehension is a long, complex process that school heads and teachers need to understand.  There are many factors that are involved in becoming proficient readers. One of the factors that influences children's reading proficiency is the extent of their world knowledge. The greater the children's experiences of the world around them, the better are their chances to comprehend books more effectively. Build children's cultural capital Let us focus on how children's limited background knowledge blocks them from developing their reading and comprehension skills. Children who come from poor homes, are often not exposed to a variety of experiences as children from middle class homes. Their world knowledge is generally restricted to the experiences in their neighborhoods.  Teachers recognize these gaps, but they ascribe the children's lack of knowledge to laziness or an unwillingness to think. "I...

Annelize Robson, the Deputy Principal and Tourism teacher at Lavender Hill High School, has won the prestigious national Tourism Teacher of the Year Award. The Tourism Teacher of the Year Award was developed by Global Travel and Tourism Partnership - South Africa (GTTP-SA). The Award Ceremony was held at the National Careers Expo Gala Event in Bloemfontein on 02 October, 2015. This award gives national recognition to Tourism teachers who make a difference in the lives of the learners, the school and the community where he or she teaches. The Tourism and Travel Subject adviser, Ms Sharmini Naidoo and the principal of the school, Faseeg Manie, must be on top of the world for having their nominee for the Tourism Teacher of the Year Award confirmed to be the best on a national platform. Profile of Annelize Robson Annelize Robson has been teaching at Lavender Hill High School for decades. As the Tourism teacher, she has received excellent results for her subject, Tourism, at the ...

World Teachers' Day, especially in our country, deserves more than a mention on social media and as a news brief on radio and television. We should trumpet the invaluable role our teachers play. When the children of the poor masses make their way to their schools, they find teachers who are ready to cultivate their vision of hope. When these same children, who are enveloped in the hideous traumas of poverty and crime, our humble nation-builders are there to build their broken spirits. Teachers are ordinary folk with their own vulnerabilities and fears, yet they have committed to their calling to transform young people into responsible, caring, well-adjusted adults of tomorrow. They are the majestic eagles of our classrooms. The theme of this year's World Teachers' Day, is appropriately on teacher empowerment and building sustainable communities.  Although we have a long way to go to ensure that we build our teachers' capacity and to restore the dignity of thei...

This year our education district celebrated Heritage Day in the Cape Winelands. Our tour included a visit to the Madiba House, two museums in Paarl and the Taal Monument. At the entrance to Drakenstein Correctional Services  The first leg of our tour was a visit to Nelson Mandela's "gilded cage" at the Drakenstein Correctional Services. Nelson Mandela lived in what was a former farmer's house for 18 months before he was released on 11 February, 1990. Madiba House Warden Mr Fisher who has been working at Drakenstein Correctional Services for 31 years, was our tour guide. Being in our Madiba's house was surreal. Our storyteller kept us spellbound with all the interesting details. We stood in the kitchen where Madiba's food was prepared. Around the table where the negotiations took place. "Here was a massive microwave in the kitchen," said Mr Fisher.  "When Mr Mandela saw the microwave the first time, he wanted to know why...

This year the Centre for Conservation designed their Heritage celebrations around the twenty eight "Heath" schools. The Heath region covers schools in the Diep River, Plumstead, Southfield, Heathfield and Retreat area. The youngest school is the Cafda School of Skills in Retreat while the oldest school is St. Anne's Primary School in Plumstead. The term "Heath Schools" was chosen as a tribute to the erica verticillata, commonly known as heath. That is where Heathfield got its name. The erica verticillata, a beautiful plant that belongs to the Fynbos family is now extinct in the wild. The Heathfield and Retreat schools are situated in areas that were once covered with vleis and wetlands where these ericas with their tubular flowers grew prolifically. Lourier Primary School. Daniel Jansen, a veteran teacher at Lourier, read an extract from Adam Small's poem. Adam Small's father was a former principal at Lourier Primary School. Sigi Howes, th...

While I was waiting to convene a grievance meeting at a school, I had an interesting conversation with two school management team leaders - a deputy principal and a head of department. The main topic of our conversation was the difficulty to get their own children into schools of their choice. The head of department was disappointed because her daughter, a high achiever (95% average), was not accepted at the school that was their first choice. She spoke about the competition to get into good schools and bemoaned the powers that these schools wield. Is the school principal responsible for the school's success? Inevitably, the conversation turned to the difference between poor schools and wealthy schools and the role the principal plays in managing and leading the school to success. Here is where the conversation became interesting. There was definitely a sense that the two senior management members believe that  only the school principal is accountable for the success of...

I know many schools have their own Staff Appreciation Day and that's brilliant.  And, I HOPE they include all the non-educators on this day as well. There are SO many wonderful souls working at schools.  I am, of course, privileged to interact with the non-teaching staff members at schools when I visit. After having been off sick for three weeks, I am now visiting the schools again. The reception I receive at all the schools makes me feel like the prodigal son! Before I can engage the school principal, the admin staff and the ground staff also want to chat and welcome me back. They show no reserve. We get ourselves all tangled in hugs, greetings, health enquiries and well wishes until everybody is satisfied that all is well. I love the response of the school heads when these exchanges take place. They do not try to stop these conversations and often just stand in the background, enjoying and silently approving this display of mutual affection. At one school, just after ...

Maurien Jacobs, the principal of Blouvlei LSEN school and Doreen Parker, an educator at Levana Primary School, will be retiring at the end of this term. Between the two educators, they have served  the Steenberg-Lavender Hill community for a whopping 98 years! Maurien Jacobs taught at Blouvlei LSEN for 16 years. For the past seven years, Maurien was the school principal of the school. Over the sixteen years Maurien travelled every school day from Wellington, a Cape Winelands town situated 85 kilometers from her school. She covered roughly 544,000 km to and from school over the sixteen years. That is about twelve times around the world! This sounds crazy, but this is what Maurien did without batting an eyelid. She would report for duty every single day at 7:15 and frown upon those who came late to school. Maurien Jacobs  Maurien Jacobs, School Head of Blouvlei LSEN (right) and me  I asked Maurien what motivated her to travel her so far. "Many people have a...

Kristen Sauls, my niece, who has a Psychology Honours Degree, is currently completing her Post Graduate Diploma in Education. Why this special post regarding online CVs for newly qualified teachers. My niece, Kristen, is going through the same CV pains that we, the veteran teachers, experienced YONKS ago. How do you write an impressive Curriculum Vitae for a teaching job when the only experience you have are the years of hard study and simulated teaching practice in the lecture room? "I don't know how to complete that Experience Set field. Please help, Aunty dearest!" This was the desperate whatsapp text I received from Kristen. And of course, we don't want to see our starry-eyed, novice teachers in dire straits.  We get our act together and SO... Don't despair, newly-qualified teachers!   Firstly , let us welcome you to the most rewarding profession that you will be entering. You are guaranteed to have a never-ending journey and you will grow in...

I was SO excited when I saw how Hillwood Primary School In Lavender Hill has beautified their entrance to the school.  The clinical look was gone and in its place, an inviting space that welcomes you as soon as you set foot into the administration block of the school. From left: Ms Powell, Ms Johannes, Ms Williams and Ms Adams, the SGB chair. Three teachers - Ms Powell, Ms Johannes and Ms Williams were the project managers. Mr Klein, the caretaker principal at the school explained that these three teachers worked after school and over weekends to complete the project. I wanted to know what prompted the makeover of the foyer area. "The area looked drab. We wanted a bright, sunny colour and wanted the foyer to be warm and welcoming," said Ms Powell. "We recruited painters from the community, via Ms Adams, the school governing chairperson, and roped in Tarno, a talented artist who is employed at Levana Primary School. It is the first time that he has attempted t...

SGBs are a rich, untapped resource at poor schools. School Governing Bodies of poor schools are an untapped resource to help our schools become high performers.  I know there are many valid reasons why SGBs cannot perform their duties effectively; there is ample research and anecdotal evidence to support this. However, I believe that if we view the capacity-building of school governors as a key deliverable, we will be amazed at the profound richness that SGBs will bring to schools. I  work closely with School Governing Bodies when I have to act as the resource person during the filling of School Principal or Deputy Principal posts. If you are a regular reader of the School Corridor Tatler blog, you will know that I serve schools in poor, depressed communities in the Lavender Hill-Steenberg belt. The parents who serve on the SGBs of these schools are mainly unemployed folk who have not completed their high school education. Negative attitude towards SGBs may be biggest...

Ingrid decided to exchange her South African classroom for a classroom in Oman. This is the interview I had with Ingrid about her experiences in Oman. lngrid having fun moments How long have you been teaching? My name is Ingrid Morris.  I have been a teacher for 24 years.  I qualified in 1991 at the former Wesley Training College in Salt River.   At the start of my career, I really thought I had made the wrong career choice as teaching posts were scarce and it was really difficult to get a job.  Nevertheless, I persevered and I am still in the profession 24 years later! National Day celebrations and far right, Ingrid's son's confirmation at St. Anthony's Sohar. Why did you choose to teach overseas? It has always been a dream of mine to travel and teaching in The Gulf really appealed to me.  On the 1st of January 2013, I woke up with a very serious “bee in my bonnet” and decided to surf the net for teaching posts overseas.  I appl...